Given the rapid advancements in the digital transformation era, digital leadership has become essential for enhancing employee performance and organizational commitment. This study specifically examines the mediating role of digital transformation in the relationship between digital leadership, employee performance, and organizational commitment, drawing on data collected between June and August 2024 from 579 participants across diverse industries. The findings demonstrate that digital leadership significantly enhances employee outcomes by driving digital transformation, which serves as a crucial intermediary that amplifies the positive effects of leadership. This research underscores the importance of aligning leadership strategies with digital transformation initiatives, especially in the DT-driven business landscape, to promote sustainable growth and maintain a competitive edge. By highlighting the combined influence of leadership and digital transformation on employee performance and organizational commitment, this study provides valuable insights for organizations addressing the complexities of digital change. It also emphasizes the pivotal role of leadership in fostering innovation and organizational resilience in the digital transformation era.

This research poses the question of whether the diffusion of information and communications technology (ICT) in countries can affect human progress. Human progress in this research is defined as progress that allows every member of a society to live in an environment with high economic, political, and civil liberties. To examine the posed question, the authors developed the following three hypotheses. First, ICT diffusion serves as a determinant in human progress. Second, the size of the impact of diffusion of ICT on human progress may differ depending on the income level of the economy. Lastly, the impact of ICT on human progress may differ depending on the type of technological medium. These hypotheses were tested with a sample of 102 countries panel for 14 years from 2000 to 2013 with data from the International Telecommunications Union to see the status of diffusion of ICT, the Heritage Foundation and the Freedom House in order to employ the measure of human progress by a year-lagged seemingly unrelated regression analysis with both pooled and grouped samples. The results suggest that the diffusion of ICT is a determinant of human progress at the global level and that the effects differ depending on the type of technology or the income level of the country.

The growing urgency of climate change underscores the need for enhanced green management practices across organizations, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of economic development. Green inclusive leadership (GIL) is defined as a leadership approach that emphasizes inclusivity, openness, and support for employees’ green ideas and contributions, fostering alignment with organizational environmental objectives. This study examines the influence of GIL on green knowledge sharing (GKS), green organizational identity (GOI), and green innovation (GI) within diverse Chinese industries, including manufacturing, services, media, and IT. Using data from 625 valid survey responses collected from 700 predominantly young, educated employees, this research demonstrates that GIL has a direct positive impact on GKS, GOI, and GI. The findings further reveal that GKS and GOI significantly contribute to GI, highlighting their roles as critical drivers of green innovation. Additionally, GKS and GOI partially mediate the relationship between GIL and GI, providing insights into how GIL promotes sustainable practices and innovation. This study underscores the importance of leadership and collaborative organizational practices in fostering a green-oriented organizational climate, supporting adopting green business models essential for competitive and resilient enterprises in a sustainable economy.

In the era of Industry 4.0, digital transformation has become a cornerstone for modern organizations, fundamentally altering how businesses operate and compete. This study delves into the impact of digital transformation on human resource management (HRM), human resource development (HRD), and employees’ innovative work behaviors and job performance in a rapidly evolving business environment. In conducting a survey among 391 employees from information and communication technology (ICT) companies in China, structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data. The findings reveal a correlation between digital transformation and innovative work behaviors and job performance, with HRM and HRD playing partial mediating roles. Digital transformation not only optimizes work processes and enhances productivity but also fosters the innovation of business models and processes. Moreover, the research indicates the critical importance of implementing efficient digital systems and processes in promoting an organizational culture of innovation and enhancing employees’ innovative capabilities. Thus, digital transformation is seen as a pivotal strategic tool, altering not just the modus operandi of organizations but also influencing employee behavior and performance.

With climate warming, the human living environment faces significant challenges, and global environmental protection and sustainable development are accelerating. As a result, ESG has become an essential area of research. This study explores the impact of employees’ perceptions of corporate ESG performance on green innovation, focusing on the moderating role of digital transformation. A survey was conducted among 316 employees from the wholesale, retail, IT, and computer services industries to validate this study. Research results show that employees’ cognitions of corporate ESG performance have a positive impact on green innovation. In addition, digital transformation plays a positive moderating role in the impact of the environmental (E) and social (S) dimensions of ESG performance on green innovation. These findings not only highlight the critical role of personal awareness and ESG management concepts in future corporate strategies but also indicate the importance of the extent of digital transformation in companies to improve innovation performance.