Purpose: This study demonstrates how artificial intelligence (AI) shapes the strategic planning process in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) business environments. Having adopted various domains of the Cynefin framework, the research explores AI's transformative potential and provide insights regarding how organisations can harness AI-driven solutions for strategic planning. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual paper theorises the role of AI in strategic planning process in a VUCA world by integrating extant knowledge across multiple literature streams. The “model paper” approach was adopted to provide a theoretical framework predicting relationships among considered concepts. Findings: The paper highlights potential application of the Cynefin framework to manage complexities in strategic decision-making process, the transformative impact of AI at different stages of strategic planning, the required strategic planning characteristics within VUCA to be supported by AI and the attendant challenges posed by AI integration in the uncertain business landscape. Originality/value: This study pioneers a theoretical exploration of AI's role in strategic planning within the VUCA business landscape, guided by the Cynefin framework. Thus, it enriches scholarly discourse and expands knowledge frontiers.

Purpose: This study aims to identify the legitimacy issues raised during a sustainable business model innovation, deployed by an Italian company, which was analyzed through the lens of the legitimation theory and the business model innovation theory.Design/methodology/approach: A single case study methodology is employed for empirical research. Semistructured interviews, with top and middle management, were conducted together with the analysis of several internal and external documents, to corroborate the case analysis.Findings: Results show how the potentiality of digital technologies allows the development of new sustainable business models, which, though, still need to gain legitimation to be accepted. The study findings allow drawing both on the business model innovation theory and on the legitimation theory, as they show how legitimation is a dynamic concept that involves internal as well as external stakeholders to support business model innovation.Originality/value: The paper is novel, since it addresses the topic of sustainable business models development, showing how companies can get legitimation. The paper builds on existing theories and provides a practical example.

Dieser Artikel beschäftigt sich mit dem Bereich der höheren Bildung in einem kleinen mitteleuropäischen Land. Ziel ist, die Konzepte von Kultur und Wissensmanagement, sowie die Zusammenhänge zwischen ihren Dimensionen auf der universitären Ebene zu untersuchen. Da wir der Meinung sind, dass der Wissensmanagementprozess im Bildungswesen besonders das Personal betrifft, fokussiert unsere Untersuchung auf das Lehrpersonal. Unser Fragebogen basiert auf einer ähnlichen Untersuchung von Wilkens et al. (2004). Neben einer Betrachtung der Literatur wird eine empirische Analyse durchgeführt, um die Beziehung zwischen Organisationskultur und Wissensmanagement zu untersuchen bzw. zu erläutern. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie können für die weitere Entwicklung der höheren Bildung in Mittel- und Osteuropa wie auch für profitorientierte Organisationen bedeutsam sein. This paper focuses on the higher education area in a small Central European country. Its purpose is to explore the concept of culture, the concept of knowledge management (KM) as well as the correlations among their dimensions at the university level. Since we assume that it is educational personnel who is involved in KM processes, our research covered the teaching staff. Our questionnaire is based on a similar research carried out by Wilkens et al. (2004). The literature is reviewed and the empirical analysis is performed in order to examine and to explain the relationship between organisational culture and knowledge management. The findings presented in the paper can be important for further development of the higher education sector in Central and Eastern European countries as well as for other profit oriented industries. The Journal of East European Management Studies aims to promote dialogue and cooperation among scholars seeking to examine,explore and explain the behaviour and practices of management within the transforming societies of Central and Eastern Europe. The theoretical interests of the journal are organisational and management change, Central and East European societies (including those on the fringes of Europe) undergoing processes of transition or transformation, and scientific issues of business, management and organisation that arise in such contexts. The JEEMS aims to attract social scientific contributions from scholars of any nation and region, but particularly wishes to encourageauthors from those countries directly experiencing transformational change. Its potential readership is international, comprising academicsand practitioners with an involvement or interest in the management of change in transforming societies in Central and Eastern Europe.

Because ‘doing business’ significantly contributes to altering the Earth's atmosphere and depleting limited natural resources, business education should be re-oriented so that global sustainability is the core and economic sustainability a subset. The neo-Aristotelian foundation of this paper proposes eudaimonia (human flourishing) as a teleology, and divides human activity, particularly learning into technē (practical utilitarian skills) and phronesis (experience, insight, and intuition). By developing intellectual, affective, and moral virtues, business students can attain a meta-virtue of phronesis, which provides a potential capacity to deal with uncertainty, mutability, and duality of human life and development. The principles of social practice wisdom provide the basis of a proposed sustainability curriculum.

Purpose: This paper aims to define knowledge transfer and small and medium enterprise’s (SME's) effectiveness. This research framework examines how employees understand, create and apply knowledge in a day-to-day working context, and how knowledge and other organisational factors influence knowledge transfer within the organisation.Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research approach was applied. The authors conducted semi-structured group interviews with the members of three departments of a small hi-tech company. All collected data were manually coded, using in vivo coding and discussed among the authors. As the continuation of the semi-structured group interview, the technique of cognitive maps was applied.Findings: According to the results, the critical elements of knowledge transfer within small hi-tech companies seem (1) available slack time, (2) reciprocity and level of trust among employees, (3) social capital of employees and (4) practically oriented technical knowledge. It is also noted that the knowledge transfer is carried out to solve the problems identified by the employees, and these seek knowledge directly from the knowledge bearers who represent a kind of organisational memory.Practical implications: Knowledge transfer in SMEs occurs almost exclusively face-by-face, and individuals involved pay attention to the time required by this process. The co-creation of an organisational space that allows and supports an open discussion within and between departments is therefore of fundamental importance in order not to preclude organisational learning. In addition, non-financial incentives must be established to help transfer tacit knowledge. This allows to overcome the difficulty of employees in recognising the organisational knowledge base that they see above all in themselves.Originality/value: This paper throws additional light on understanding how knowledge transfer happens within small hi-tech companies. The applied qualitative research methods allow a better understanding of the “how” and “why” questions associated with the social processes surrounding knowledge transfer.