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 determine how remote management support (MS) practices and staff diversity influenced employee performance (EP) within the digital workplace (DW) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article highlights the challenges managers face in achieving EP in the DW compared to traditional work environments.
Design/methodology/approach – We developed a theoretical model (MS→DW→EP) and tested it based on the computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) conducted in mid-2022. Factors of primary, secondary and organizational diversity moderated the relationship between the variables. We purposely selected a sample of 1,000 respondents with remote working experience.
Findings – The results show that the DW partially mediates the relationship between MS and EP. The greater the uncertainty in managing people, the more flexibility, trust and job satisfaction required in the DW to achieve EP. Organizational diversity influenced the model more (i.e. teamwork vs individual work) than the primary and secondary diversity (i.e. gender and education).
Research limitations/implications – Although the sample size was large, we cannot consider it
statistically representative.
Practical implications – Zoomers and Millennials reflect full mediation in the model that supports EP. Social implications – Broader work autonomy, smaller organizations and teams as well as hybrid work arrangements, reduce the necessity for in-person meetings with superiors.
Originality/value – Supervisors had to reduce control over the DW while expanding organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) to enhance job satisfaction and thus ensure the expected EP during the pandemic. We may consider allowing an employee to postpone work as a new managerial activity within MS.

Purpose – The research investigated relations between factors used to evaluate the quality of buyer-supplier relationships (BSRs): perceived performance of the supplier, satisfaction with supplier, and trust in the supplier; and to develop an instrument to evaluate BSRs (a BSRs evaluation scale).
Design/methodology/approach – We applied the psychometric testing of the BSRs measurement using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. We applied structural equation modeling (SEM) to understand the interrelations of factors underlying BSRs.
Findings – The BSRs evaluation scale consists of three factors: perceived performance of the supplier, satisfaction with the supplier, and trust in the supplier. The results provide empirical evidence of the validity, reliability, and generalizability of the presented measurement.
Originality/value – The study developed a novel measurement instrument that integrates BSRs’ multidimensional constructs. It explains and confirms the significant roles of satisfaction with the supplier, trust in the supplier, and perceived performance of the supplier in shaping the BSRs’ quality. Furthermore, we provide evidence that in BSRs goodwill- and competence-based trust integrate into a single factor.

Purpose – The authors aimed to identify the opinions of young adult consumers regarding food processing companies’ (FPCs) credibility in terms of food safety (FS).
Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed Generation Z (GenZ) consumers. The authors assessed the reliability of the research questionnaire using Cronbach’s alpha statistics. The authors used descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA analysis of variance in the data analysis to determine intergroup variability. The authors performed statistical analyses using IBM SPSS Statistics. 27.
Findings – The most valued determinants for consumers were competence and skills, and the most valued family members’ opinions on FS, followed by experts’ opinions. FS concerns are more associated with FPCs than with farmers. The ethics of conduct and moral responsibility play an important role in assessing the FPCs’ credibility.
Research limitations/implications – The questionnaire did not focus on specific food industries, such as fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, dairy, etc. In the future, a similar survey on producers’ credibility should consider the issue of FS risks associated with the specifics of a particular industry.
Originality/value – The authors proposed a set of factors that may determine young adult consumers’ perception of the FPCs’ credibility, which they may use for research within other consumer groups.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the region brand’s strength by measuring the awareness of the regional brand elements, associations and the perception of the region’s promotional activity in the corporate customers’ group.

Design/methodology/approach: To obtain the necessary data, this study conducted computer-assisted web interviewing on a sample of 151 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) registered in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and engaged in furniture production and food and beverage production. Statistical data analysis included Pearson and Spearman’s rank correlation and chi-square tests.

Findings: The survey showed a high number of brand associations with the region of Mazovia, but the level of brand recognition was low. The awareness of the region’s logo among SMEs shows the strongest correlation with the belief that promotional activities increased the scope of company operations. Moreover, this evidences the perceived utility of the brand among those customers.

Practical implications: The regional authorities should invest more in the frequency of promoting the region among certain strongly engaged user groups to increase their brand awareness level. Furthermore, local authorities should try establishing an umbrella brand that would cover several sub-brands promoting separate industries in the region.

Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in Poland that focused on regional branding effects among entrepreneurs and using a quantitative method. The relationship between the studied entrepreneurs’ willingness to use the Mazovia brand and their range of operations indicates that some enterprises already enjoy greater trust thanks to the brand, which increases their loyalty toward the region.

Purpose: This research focuses on firm resources and capabilities used for value co-creation in service innovation. Specifically, I investigated how service innovation is created in an in-ternational engineering company. The aim of this article is to reveal what resources and capa-bilities are employed by a service provider for value co-creation in the innovation project of engineering service and how they vary in particular stages of this project.

Methodology: The research is based on qualitative methodology by a multi-case study strate-gy. Focus group discussion with senior managers and semi-structured interviews with project managers of the studied international engineering company were used as concrete data gather-ing methods. Data analysis was conducted using the content analysis method.

Findings: The research revealed eight value co-creation activities accomplished by the engi-neering company and client during the engineering service innovation project. The activities are as follows: co-identification of the client’s problem, co-evaluation of ideas, co-defining of client’s requirements, co-analysis of environment, co-design, co-testing, and co-adoption, co-production, and co-activities after the launch. These activities are diffused in different project stages and demand a range of resources: expert knowledge, diagnostic, communication skills, trust, experience, technological equipment, human resources. Moreover, they require diverse capabilities: relational, innovative, analytical, negotiation, knowledge absorptive, planning, organizational flexibility, and cross-cultural. The intensity and variety of using the mentioned resources and capabilities differ relying on the value co-creation activity. Expert knowledge, communication skills as resources, and relational and innovative capabilities were empha-sized by the researchers most often. We hope these findings will represent a step toward a more coherent resource-based view (RBV) and service innovation theories.

Implications: The study involved only one Lithuanian engineering company, so the research context may influence the findings. Another limitation is related to the small number of cases and research participants.

Originality: Unlike previous studies that revealed the importance of single resources and ca-pabilities for service innovation, this study determined the range of resources and capabilities employed in different activities of engineering service innovation project stages, especially in the value co-creation activities performed by the engineering company and clients. Moreover, research also identified how resources and capabilities vary at different stages of these pro-jects.

Purpose: This study presents a nine-factor, 32-item measure of work environment scale in the service sector. A healthy work environment is one in which employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy working with the people (Levering and Moskowitz, 2004).

Methodology: This instrument builds on the conceptual model espoused by Insel and Moos (1974), Gordon (1973), Fletcher and Nusbaum (2010), Amabile et al. (1996), and Spector (2003). The scale included items elicited through a literature review, the use of the Delphi technique with a panel of experts, and tested on 824 full-time employees from nine service sector industries and five major cities in India.

Findings: The Work Environment Services Scale (WESS) is a reliable and valid scale useful for measuring the nine work environment factors in the Indian services organization, with its own norms and a detailed manual.

Originality/Value: The prevailing scales for measuring work environment do not capture the influence of ethics, recreation facilities, and the impact of social giving on the work environment. Most scales were suitable for sectors in the Western context, and there were no Indian scales measuring service employees’ perception of their work environment.

Purpose: The study aimed at examining how observing a person showing no trust or some trust, in interaction framed as a trust or an investment, influences two variables: anticipated dissatisfaction from cooperating with the trustor and willingness to avoid such a person in future cooperative tasks. Additionally, the perception of the trustor and anticipated feelings in the role of the trustee were analyzed.
Methodology: A scenario describing the trust game framed as trust or investment was used in the study. Participants (N = 166) were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions: 2 (amount sent in the game: zero vs. one-tenth of the endowment) x 2 (game framing: trust vs. investment) and after reading the scenario made three types of evaluations: (1) their feelings in the position of the trustee from the scenario; (2) the trustor’s sociability, morality, and competence and (3) anticipated dissatisfaction from cooperating with the trustor in the future, and finally (4) willingness to avoid the trustor in future interactions.
Results: Interaction effects were found for evaluations of anticipated dissatisfaction from cooperating with the trustor and willingness to avoid the trustor in future interactions. Observing sending nothing in the trust game framed as trust, rather than investment, resulted in stronger anticipated dissatisfaction from cooperating in the future with the trustor, and stronger willingness to avoid such a person as a partner for cooperation. Moreover, independent of the framing of the game, in condition of no trust, participants reported stronger negative feeling when imagining themselves in the role of the trustee and perceived the trustor as less sociable and less competent. Surprisingly, the perception of trustor’s morality did not differ across the conditions.
Conclusions: Observing distrust, particularly when the interaction is interpreted in social terms as trust, rather than in economic ones as non-investing, with all other aspects of the situation the same, results in different attitude towards the distrustor on the side of observers. Distrust, in comparison to just non-investing, evokes in observers a stronger propensity to avoid such the distrustor as a partner for cooperation and lowers their anticipated satisfaction from cooperation with him/her.

Purpose: The article is a review aimed at presenting the concept of and available knowledge on
teal organizations and at indicating further research objectives.
Methodology: Research methods employed in the study included a systematic review of the literature, along with its critical analysis and logical deduction.
Findings: The analysis shows that teal management – based on self-organization – may prove to be an opportunity for companies to adapt to changing circumstances. The teal organization concept is a true revolution in modern management, as it rejects all systems and previously immutable rules of the business world. The subject requires further empirical research.
Research limitations: Limitations apply to both the concept of teal organizations itself and the literature review. Since the teal organization concept was established in 2015, there is a lack of reviews and scientific studies or in-depth empirical research on this topic. Thus, the articles included in the review do not exhaust the issue.
Implications: The issues discussed in the article require further scientific research, primarily empirical. The said research should cover various aspects, such as building a culture of trust and self-organization, leadership (3.0), management through values, and new management methods.
Value: This is the first publication in this field that falls within this research gap. This study constitutesa significant contribution to the development of research on the concept of teal organizations.

Purpose: This paper examines the consumers’ acceptance and usage of technology, which is an important and widely discussed topic. The aim is to explore the impact of moderators (gender, age, experience in using mobile Internet technologies) and trust towards one’s intention to use a mobile phone for purchases (to acquire goods).

Methodology: Empirical research was conducted among Warsaw students with the use of the UTAUT2 model (Unifed Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology), extended so as to encompass the concept of trust. Data was analysed using partial least squares path modelling (PLS-SEM) and the SmartPLS 3 programme. The multi-group analysis was employed (PLS-MGA) to measure the impact of moderating variables.

Findings: Research results indicate that trust has no signifcant impact on one’s intention to use a mobile phone for purchases. Gender is an important moderator of the relationship between the independent variable of price value and the independent variable of habit with the dependent variable of the intention to use a mobile phone for purchases. Age is an important moderator in the relationship between the independent variable of hedonic motivation and the independent variable of habit with the dependent variable of the intention to use a mobile phone for purchases. Experience is not an important moderator of any relationship specifed in the hypotheses.

Purpose: Despite the importance of innovation, the full innovation potential of companies operating in the industrial sector of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) seems not to have been unlocked yet. Thus, the primary purpose of the study was to explore the key elements of company innovation policies applied on the way to successful innovation.

Methodology: The article presents results of an empirical quantitative analysis. The data has been collected through an anonymous online and postal survey. The analysis focuses on 345 companies active on foreign markets and involves a Mann-Whitney U test and a regression analysis.

Findings: The conducted analysis points to the importance of the degree of interorganizational network embeddedness for the performance of companies active on foreign markets. It shows that the higher the degree of the overall network embeddedness (measured with adaptations, trust and mutuality), the higher the company’s perceived performance relative to its competitors.

Research limitations: The research was burdened with such limitations as respondents experiencing time pressure and the use of only one source of information (the interviewees).

Originality: Despite much general evidence, the study attempts to complement the rare qualitative studies on innovation in CEE. It was carried out as a response to the lack of an in-depth study covering such recurrent challenges in the feld of company innovation policies as disruption, portfolio balancing, integration, intangibilities’ management, and play.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to compare the phenomenon of interfirm cooperation strategy in both hyper-growth, and stable-growth knowledge and technology–intensive firms, in a country characterized by a high level of generalized trust: Sweden.

Methodology: Qualitative methods were incorporated: direct semistructured interviews with top managers in 13 ICT firms (8 hyper-growth and 5 stable-growth), analyzis of reports, corporate websites and press releases. Furthermore, interviews in 3 expert firms in the industry were conducted, facilitating interfirm cooperation.

Conclusions: There were significant differences in interfirm cooperation strategy in two distinguished groups of the frms: hyper-growth, and stable-growth. Managers’ individual approaches to uncertainty, strategy and cooperation might be more important than institutional settings. The ICT firms operate in a constantly changing global environment and local context seems to have only a minor impact on the rules of the game in the industry.

Research limitations: This study was a qualitative explorative approach as an introduction to further empirical research.

Originality: The study presents an interfirm cooperation phenomenon incorporating different perspectives and settings. It contributes to alliance portfolio literature (forming and managing of alliance portfolio in a different context/country/industry), and enhances understanding of firm strategies characterized by different growth rates.

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present a strategic model of inter-sectoral cooperation and its conditions, such as social responsibility and trust. The development of organizations depends on them, but also on relationships with business partners. The greater the integrity and social responsibility of the organization, the greater the trust and willingness of the business partners. The importance of trust should also be observed in the Polish reality, not only in business.

Methodology: The aim was achieved by discussing literature and presenting the results of focus discussion in groups. The end result was a conceptual model of NGO (non-governmental organization) – PA (public administration) cooperation (2012).

Findings: The conceptual model of NGO (non-governmental organization) – PA (public administration) cooperation seems to be an interesting and promising solution. It seems to be a significant task of both popularizing assumptions and providing building blocks for models. It could be considered to be a very useful tool. This model should provide a helpful framework for developing local standards that will be useful in inter-sectoral cooperation.

Originality: The novelty and originality of the study is the theoretical and practical presentation of the strengths of inter-sectoral cooperation.

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to analyze some of the innovation drivers in Poland in comparison to the selected developed and developing countries, to present the general determinants and features of the “open innovation” concept, and finally to determine the most important incentives of the open knowledge ecosystem creation process in Poland.

Methodology: The research approach and methodology are based on the assumption that in the contemporary world economy innovativeness and competitiveness depend not only on traditional modes of technology transfer (e.g. foreign direct investment, license or arm’s length agreements), but also on knowledge absorption capabilities.

Findings: The transnational corporations have already perceived the knowledge creation potential of Internetbased digital communities, therefore they are strongly interested in the implementation of the “open innovation” concept in their business models. Based on completed survey results and a selected data comparative analysis one can conclude that the innovativeness of the Polish economy has not increased since the last two decades, and
future development prospects in this area are rather gloomy. It seems that the cornerstone of the open knowledge environment building process is a systemic change concerning citizen-state relations.

Originality: The value of the article stems from emphasizing the importance of trust and cooperation as the fundamental factors influencing growth of networked innovation capabilities of society. Moreover, without promoting the development of such social attitudes it is impossible to create a modern digital society, and to profit from ideas and knowledge circulating on the Web.