Purpose – The development of ITC technologies, the emergence of novel digital business models, the growing imperative for cybersecurity assurance and the phenomenon of digital disruption caused by unexpected crises force companies to rethink and redefine their strategies. Nevertheless, empirical evidence is not fully consistent with the prevailing opinion among management practitioners that technology is a crucial factor in ensuring the digital transformation’s effectiveness. The article identifies the reasons for the limited level of readiness of contemporary organizations for digital transformation, highlighting the role of the organization’s soft components.
Design/methodology/approach – Addressing the complexity of digitizing phenomena, the article presents the role of organizational culture, digital leadership and digital competencies in organizational transformation processes.
Findings – By emphasizing the significance of an organization’s soft components in the context of digital transformation, we suggest that while technological advancement constitutes a crucial aspect of this process, it is not the mere implementation of technological solutions that is paramount to its efficacy. The crux of the matter lies in the transformation of soft management factors, encompassing the provision of digital leadership, the cultivation of digital competencies and the establishment of a digital organizational culture.
Originality/value – While digital transformation ultimately necessitates action in the area of infrastructure, the advantages of transformation will only be fully realized once an adequate level of maturity has been attained in an organization’s soft components. Although some researchers propose that the initial step in the digital transformation process should be to establish a digital organizational culture and subsequently develop digital capabilities, we present an alternative approach. It suggests that the establishment of digital leadership should initiate the development of the required digital competencies, which, when combined with digital leadership, will force a transformation of the organizational culture.

Purpose – The study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Polish version of the identity leadership inventory (ILI) proposed by Steffens, Haslam, Reicher et al. (2014) and to confirm the relationship between identity leadership and various job-related outcomes (i.e., trust in leaders, job satisfaction, work engagement and turnover intentions) among employees from Poland-based organizations. Identity leadership appears to be a universal construct (van Dick, Ciampa, & Liang, 2018) but no one has studied it in Poland so far.
Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 1078 employees collected in two independent subsamples from different organizations located in Northern and Central Poland. We evaluated the ILI’s factorial structure using confirmatory factor analysis.
Findings – The results confirm that the 15-item Polish version of the ILI has a four-dimensional structure with factors representing prototypicality, advancement, entrepreneurship and impresarioship. It showed satisfactory reliability. The identity leadership inventory-short form (four items) also showed a good fit with the data. As expected, the relationships between identity leadership and important work-related outcomes (general level of job satisfaction, work engagement, trust toward the leader and turnover intentions) were also significant.
Originality/value – Despite the cultural specifics of Polish organizations, the research results were generally very similar to those in other countries, confirming the universality of the ILI as shown in the Global Identity Leadership Development project (GILD, see van Dick, Ciampa, & Liang, 2018; van Dick et al., 2021).

Purpose – The article aims to identify and classify competencies and values considered essential or even necessary in the daily work of active managers and leaders.
Design/methodology/approach – This article is based on the results of comprehensive ethnographic research. I acquired the research material through open interviews (26 items), which facilitated immersion into the social reality of individual groups of respondents.
Findings – A manager who consistently adheres to their values builds lasting authority. A manager who is guided by values also has a greater influence on decision-making and team relationships. A manager who adheres to values can contribute to improving organizational culture and thus increase employee engagement and achieve better organizational results.
Research limitations/implications – Findings from qualitative studies are context-specific and may not be easily generalizable to other settings or populations.
Practical implications – Organizations need to recognize the centrality of values in building managerial authority. By strategically aligning values, promoting consistency and fostering a culture of trust, organizations can enhance managerial effectiveness, team relationships and overall organizational performance.
Social implications – Managers’ values play a crucial role in shaping workplace dynamics and can extend their influence to broader societal contexts. A values-driven approach has the potential to create positive social impacts and thus contribute to ethical business practices, trustful relationships and overall societal well-being. Originality/value – The findings are original and valuable because they holistically explore the connection between managerial values and authority and identify key factors that contribute to lasting and impactful leadership in organizations and society.

Purpose – We aimed to analyze the impact of the transition to the hybrid model of teamwork and team dynamics from the perspective of the five key challenges, i.e. communication, coordination, connection, creativity and culture.
Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the stated aim, we conducted a literature review and then an exploratory qualitative study. We split the research into phases: December 2021 to January 2022 and July to August 2022. In the first phase, we conducted computer-assisted online interviews (CAWIs) with all members of the remote team and an in-depth interview with the manager. After the transition from remote to hybrid work in February 2022, we returned to the team to conduct in-depth interviews with team leaders and the manager. Findings – We identified key findings, i.e. managerial implications of differences across the 5 Cs (communication, coordination, connection, creativity and culture) noted in the functioning of the analyzed team as the team shifted from fully remote work to the hybrid work model.
Research limitations/implications – We concluded that if people do not spend time together and are not impregnated with the unique culture and values of a given organization, they will not feel a connection to its distinctive ethos and may choose to leave. In the longer-term, the last challenge may be the biggest single opportunity for employees post-pandemic and concurrently the single biggest challenge that organizational leadership will need to address, given that sustainable market success depends on talent.
Originality/value – The results showed that team communication, teamwork coordination, social and emotional connections among team members, nurturing of creativity, as well as of the organizational culture were of high importance to the team in the hybrid work model. Thus, we confirmed the findings of other authors. The study contributes to our understanding of the impact of the hybrid work model on teamwork and team dynamics and provides some guidance on how organizations can mitigate these, in particular through the team manager.

Purpose – The article explores the linkages between the type of environmental strategy (ES), the use of internal communication (IC), and the greening of organizational culture (OC). Moreover, the article empirically examines whether company size matters in the use of environmental IC practices in the green context. Additionally, the article considers differences between people employed at different organizational hierarchy levels. The basis for such a comparison is their opinions about the effectiveness of communication practices. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical research employed a survey method done on 199 organizations in 2020. Statistical analyses used the chi-squared test, Kendall’s Tau-b correlation coefficient, and the Mann–Whitney U test.
Findings – The research showed that companies with a proactive green strategy more often use different communication practices related to ES and have a greener culture. The study proved that larger companies more often use the analyzed communication practices. However, we found no significant difference in opinion between middle managers and line employees about the effectiveness of these practices.
Practical implications – The main contribution to business practice is the exploratory model based on the empirical study, which allows organizations to successfully implement the ES.
Originality/value – Studies rarely combine the three organizational elements: IC, OC, and ES. This article provides new empirical evidence on relationships between features of OC, green strategy types, and communication practices.

Purpose: The study’s purpose was to examine the management of agri-food enterprises’ resource-saving development to minimize potential imperfections in managing material and human resources and improve data quality.

Materials and methods: A combined analysis was used to display the potential relationships between the agri-food sector achievements and basic indicators of natural resources’ sustainability and resilience to risks. The analysis covered Ukraine, Romania, and Poland. The analysis allowed for developing a general management scheme, including a management transformation comparative description in the economic growth context.

Results: The study revealed that Ukraine is clearly not on the path to progress in manufacturing enterprises and agriculture, as most of its indicators do not meet global nutrition goals. At the same time, Ukraine remains an export-oriented country. Its agri-food enterprises’ activities focus on external markets, corresponding to the priorities of the country’s agricultural policy and sustainable development goals of the United Nations organization.

Conclusion: The obtained results provide knowledge about and understanding of processes that occur in the agri-food enterprises’ organizational structure in countries with different development levels. The awareness of these processes is crucial for effective enterprise management in the resource conservation context.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of team project experiences of students (presence and role of a leader; fairness in team projects; conditions supporting teamwork created by a university) on their attitudes towards teamwork, especially the perception of teamwork effectiveness and the preference of working in teams.

Methodology: In the study the quantitative research was done among master degree Polish students of Management (105 questionnaires). The measures used for the study were developed specifcally for the study referring to the previous research in the feld.

Findings: Results indicate that leaders in team projects and conditions supporting teamwork are connected with the students’ perception of teamwork effectiveness, while the fairness in team projects is connected with students’ preference of working collectively.

Research implications: We conclude that in order to develop a positive attitude towards teamwork, the teamwork projects should be better supported by the instructors (especially supporting the emergence of leader(s) and minimising the problem of free riders) and the university should create a climate that facilitates teamworking, otherwise team projects might negatively influence students’ attitude towards collective work.

Value: On the labour market the teamwork skills are one of the most important skills of employees, as the team-based organizational designs are becoming the norm in work organization. The study is contributing to the understanding of the relations between student experiences and their attitudes as well as the role played by high education in the development of these attitudes. Some previous research in Anglo-Saxon culture countries indicate that team project assignments realised by students during studies might even hinder their attitudes to teamwork and their willingness to work in teams in the future.

Purpose: In this article we focus on the issue of organizational control in its bureaucratic and cultural forms.

Methodology: This research uses exploratory case study analysis of Matsushita Konosuke’s management style of in the early years of the Panasonic Corporation.

Findings: First of all, we fi nd that despite the impressive body of knowledge accumulated over the years, some questions concerning the relationship between two modes of control and their changes over time still remain unanswered. As a result of case study analysis we put forward an original model illustrating the relationship between bureaucratic and cultural modes of control over stages of the organization life cycle.

Research implications and limitations: Implications of the study consist of prescriptions on how to successfully exert control by combining formal and informal measures. Main limitations of the study are related to its generalizability.

Originality: Originality of the study results both from putting forward a new theoretical models and using original historical case of Panasonic Corporation.

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to present the phenomenon of interorganizational collaboration from the strategic perspective, as a complex phenomenon, infl uenced by environmental factors, such as institutions – both formal and informal. Additional aims of the paper are: to present a model including all signifi cant elements
and identifying important research gaps.

Methodology: The paper presents the results of literature analyses as well as the fi ndings of the latest research studies in the fi eld of interorganizational collaboration, taking into account the environment of the organization.

Conclusions: The external environment of the organization, in particular socio-cultural factors, has a significant impact on the formation, development, evolution and management of interorganizational collaboration. There are still many research gaps in this fi eld, and some of them have been presented in this paper.

Research limitations: This paper is a theoretical and conceptual study. It forms an introduction to further empirical research.

Originality: The paper presents the phenomenon of interorganizational collaboration in a broader context, taking into account the external environment as an element infl uencing such collaboration. Most of the works in this field focus on organizations managing or coping with the environment. This paper presents a different approach. It indicates the external factors that infl uence interorganizational collaboration from a strategic perspective, and subsequently presents them in the form of a model.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an idea for understanding cultural processes in the organizational discourse from the perspective of four paradigms in management sciences based on the concept of G. Burrell and G. Morgan.

Methodology: The author has elaborated a valuable list of structures of the scientifi c theory based on the respective paradigms and has compared cultural paradigms in management sciences. The methodology involves an analysis of classical and recent world literature. Nowadays there is no consensus on the defi nitions, types or research models of organizational culture.

Originality: In the literature on the subject we can fi nd many, sometimes contradictory cultural research studies that require further analysis. Precisely because of the diversity and complexity of cultural issues in management sciences a multi-paradigmatic analysis is necessary. The paper presents a proposal for a pluralistic approach to the theory and methodology of cultural studies in management sciences.