The post-pandemic age has heightened the importance of digitalizing organizational practices and fostering innovation for SMEs to ensure resilient business operations in a volatile work environment. This research paper examines the impact of digital transformation leadership on the digitalization of business practices and the development of innovative business models while considering the roles of organizational agility and knowledge transfer. A survey of 270 employees from SMEs in Lebanon was conducted using the convenience sampling technique. Data analysis was performed quantitatively through Partial Least Squares—Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that adopting digital transformation leadership fosters organizational agility, enabling effective digital transformation and business model innovation with a robust knowledge transfer system. This study contributes to the fields of digital transformation and innovation, and offers practical insights for SME managers navigating uncertainties and market volatility in the post-pandemic period.

Achieving environmental sustainability whilst minimizing the climate change effect has become a global endeavor. Hence, this study examined the effect of energy consumption, economic growth, financial development, and globalization on CO₂ emissions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The research utilized a dataset stretching from 1995 to 2018. In a bid to investigate these associations, the study applied cross-sectional dependence (CSD), slope heterogeneity (SH), Pesaran unit root, Westerlund cointegration, cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL), and Dumitrescu and Hurlin (DH) causality approaches. The outcomes of the CSD and SH tests indicated that using the first-generation techniques produces misleading results. The panel unit root analysis unveiled that the series are I (1). Furthermore, the outcomes of the cointegration test revealed a long-run association between CO₂ emissions and the regressors, suggesting evidence of cointegration. The findings of the CS-ARDL showed that economic growth and energy consumption decrease environmental sustainability, while globalization improves it. The study also validated the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for GCC economies. In addition, the results of the DH causality test demonstrated a feedback causality association between economic growth and CO₂ emissions and between financial development and CO₂ emissions. Moreover, there is a one-way causality from energy consumption and globalization to CO₂ emissions in GCC economies. According to the findings, environmental pollution in GCC countries is output-driven, which means that it is determined by the amount of energy generated and consumed.

A rapid pace of change presents an unforeseen and perpetual competitive challenge for organizations. Despite the existence of numerous change management models, organizational change leaders often encounter obstacles during the implementation phase that limit change effectiveness. This paper seeks to make a difference in managerial actions, specifically when implementing planned change, by directing them to use specific leadership actions during the change stage. While previous research has acknowledged the potential linkage between leadership and change effectiveness, a comprehensive exploration of this relationship within the realm of strategic change management remains lacking. This study aims to address this gap by comparing transactional and transformational leadership styles through the lens of the leadership-as-practice perspective. Specifically, this paper analyzes the alignment of these leadership styles with the Kotter model for implementing organizational change and investigates which leadership components or behaviors positively impact predetermined stages of change. Using the MLQ and a developed Kotter questionnaire, data was collected from 385 Lebanese employees working in SMEs experiencing change across the five provinces of Lebanon. PLS structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the results, and the GoF value indicated that the study model is valid to be considered as a PLS global model. Our findings shed light on the dynamic interplay between leadership efficacy and distinct change stages. Rooted in the leadership-as-practice perspective, this study contributes a nuanced understanding of effective leadership’s crucial role in navigating the multifaceted challenges of organizational change, offering insights for practitioners and scholars alike.

Objective: Although the importance of emotional intelligence is noted by several authors, its significance should be emphasized in jobs where crises occur, such as Lebanese banking positions. The significance of the study lies in its main aim, which is to address this gap and examine how the emotional intelligence of Lebanese bank employees affects their performance during a crisis. The aim of the study is to examine the positive impact of emotional intelligence on the performance of employees working in the Lebanese banking sector during a crisis. Methodology: To verify this aim, a questionnaire was distributed to employees working in the Lebanese banking sector during the crisis that has been affecting Lebanon. A sample of 201 respondents was obtained, and the data obtained were analyzed using SPSS. Findings: It was found that employees working in the banking industry during the crisis performed better when they possessed high emotional intelligence. Implications/Value: It is highly recommended that bank managers become aware of the importance of their own emotional intelligence and that of their employees, as it will directly and positively affect their performance during a crisis, thus influencing the overall performance of the sector.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has experienced major technological and procedural changes that will continue in the post-pandemic age. For this reason, firms are expected to learn from such an unprecedented experience and ensure that the managerial and workforce practices in the post-pandemic period are directed toward rebuilding and reinventing the workplace. Within the scope of the research topic: “Diversity, Innovations, and Entrepreneurship in Post-crisis Periods”, this study accentuates the positive impact of human capital development programs in enhancing employee performance. Moreover, the roles of resilience, empowerment, and mimetic isomorphism are analyzed to better enable firms to learn from their past experience and develop practices that fit the agile environment. A questionnaire was administered targeting 370 employees in 12 SMEs in Lebanon. A conditional analysis was used to test the hypotheses through SPSS, PROCESS. The results of this study showed that the deployment of developmental programs is deemed indispensable for enhancing the performance of SME employees and helping them overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic through empowerment and resilience. This study can be useful for academics who might benefit from its theoretical implications and prospective directions for future analyses. Moreover, its results can also be helpful for practitioners, specifically managers of SMEs who are seeking to reinvent their workplace in a responsive way in the post-pandemic age.

Objective: Employee retention is a real challenge and a crucial component that affects the organization's success and sustainability. The major purpose of this study is to examine the human resource management strategies that influence employee retention in private institutions in Lebanon. Methodology: The research employed a quantitative approach using a survey to collect data from a sample of 487 employees, and data was analyzed using the SPSS software. Findings: According to the research, employee empowerment, appraisals, wages and incentives, and training and development, all have a major influence on retaining employees at higher education institutions in Lebanon. Implications: The significance of such practices in establishing a healthy work environment, enhancing job satisfaction, and lowering turnover rates is emphasized in the study. Furthermore, the strong correlation among the variables highlights the value of prioritizing human resources practices for higher employee retention in the competitive educational environment in Lebanon. Orginality/Value: Thus, private universities in Lebanon can enhance employee retention by conducting strengthened training and development, enhancing performance appraisals, offering competitive compensation and benefits, and empowering their employees.