In the modern digital age, organizations face unprecedented challenges and possibilities while managing the intricacies of digital transformation. Accelerated technological developments, changing customer preferences, heightened competition, and dynamic regulatory environments necessitate companies to synchronize their business goals with technological innovations. Leadership is crucial in steering businesses through changes, requiring a deep understanding of change processes and the capacity to adjust leadership accordingly. This research addresses the central question: How does leadership effectively promote organizational digital transformation? The study examines how leaders can effectively promote the adoption of advanced technologies and the promotion of innovation, by first exploring the nature of digital transformation within organizations and then analyzing the evolving dynamics of leadership in this context. An integrative review of the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases was conducted, using the search terms: “Leadership” and “Digital Transformation”. The findings emphasize that effective leadership is crucial for managing the minutiae of digital transformation, integrating technology into organizational processes to facilitate learning, collaboration, and agility, enabling companies to adapt to market shifts, reduce uncertainty, and enhance decision-making for sustainable growth. By using the right tools and with the right frequency, leaders may develop team cohesion—even at a distance. Attentive digital-age leaders will know how to leverage the right mechanisms, and herein, we hope to give some indication of how that may be achieved, so that digital transformation increases rather than decreases team motivation levels.

Aligning learning goals with the needs of the labour market is a difficult task for universities, especially in the present day. Although organisations seek professionals with flexible and varied skills, universities often underestimate the importance of cross-curricular skills. Thus, this article aims to identify the perception of recent graduates as to the importance of the transversal skills that they acquired and developed at university and the ways in which they are now applied in the work environment. In this exploratory study, we sent a questionnaire to recent graduates that allowed us to analyse the development and applicability of these competencies in organisations. The results are further discussed within the broader framework of how universities adapt to the strong socio-economic challenges that characterise current times and the integration of recent graduates into the labour market.

Environmental problems are also social problems. Social work, as a scientific area, has increasingly assumed the importance of including environmental problems in social intervention. This close linkage to ecological issues is particularly relevant when addressing vulnerable communities. In this article, we analyze the results of a study focused on social work intervention in two Portuguese eco-neighborhoods in the context of ongoing urban regeneration projects, which suggest that social vulnerability accentuates the damage of exposure to environmental threats and amplifies its effects. The analysis of data collected from social workers, through 9 semi-structured interviews and through questionnaires (N = 131), with the residents of the neighborhoods together with non-participant observation, allowed to highlight the difficulties, contradictions, but also the potential of this type intervention. Results appear to support an eco-social model which may help social worker to promote social transformation and change, respecting community rhythms, promoting empowerment of individuals, addressing the challenges of socially vulnerable communities within the complexity of a globalized world.

The COVID-19 pandemic globally affected European societies. This new crisis arrived after a period of gradual recovery from the 2008 financial crisis that had jeopardized the achievement of Europe Strategy 2020 (ES2020) targets. The need to recover for the Southern European countries, which had austerity programs during the financial crisis, is crucial to ensure a continuum of economic and social development. This study aims to analyze the impact of the two last international crises on the accomplishment of ES2020 goals and how the ‘NextGenerationEU’ program presents a mechanism to recover from the pandemic’s socioeconomic impacts. We analyzed secondary statistical data from Eurostat and official European documents. Additionally, we carried out a systematic analysis of 162 measures of the recovery and resilience plan from Southern European countries (Greece, Spain, Italy, and Portugal). The results showed that ES2020 targets were at risk, particularly in the field of employment, combating poverty, and social exclusion. Currently, there is strong European investment in response to the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic, with all countries defining measures adjusted to protect the most vulnerable groups. However, the implications of these responses require a political commitment for them to effectively contribute to sustainable recovery and development.

Information about the paper titled "THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSVERSAL SKILLS IN HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULA FOR TODAY'S LABOR MARKET" at IATED Digital Library

During the last two years, the pandemic has dominated the public attention and debate around the world, centering on socio-economic aspects and having camouflaged other social, cultural and even environmental issues. This study sought to analyze ethno-racial discrimination processes, identifying significant events in Portugal during the period of the current global crisis. We utilized document analysis of national and international reports produced in the last five years, complementing with secondary statistical data and the analysis of online news and users’ comments published in national media during the last two years. The results show that, although there has been a development in Portuguese legislation and in anti-discrimination measures, there has been an increase in racist and xenophobic phenomena in Portugal. Citizens’ perceptions, indicators and reports from official bodies show evidence of discriminatory behavior. Additionally, within this framework, we see a greater political presence of extreme right-wing movements, as well as an increase in hate speech in online news comments. Thus, although there is an awareness of the seriousness of these phenomena, there is an urgent need for actions against racial and ethnic intolerance and greater effective measures for ideological crimes.