The research aims to answer how servant leadership behaviors contribute to building trust among employees and identify which leadership practices have the strongest impact. The paper focuses on the leadership dimensions of listening, empathy, and supportiveness and their influence on the trust dimensions of transparency, reliability, and fairness. A quantitative research design was employed, using a structured survey distributed to 153 employees across five small and medium Lebanese organizations. Data were analyzed using SPSS, including correlation analysis to determine the relationships between leadership behaviors and employee trust. The findings indicate that servant leadership has a statistically significant and positive effect on employee trust. Among the leadership dimensions, supportiveness emerged as the most influential factor, particularly in enhancing transparency and reliability, while listening had the strongest impact on fairness. Empathy also contributed positively, though its effect was lower than that of other dimensions. These results suggest that servant leaders who actively support, listen to, and empathize with employees can foster a work environment characterized by trust, fairness, and reliability.The study has important implications for human resource (HR) managers and organizations, highlighting the need to develop servant leadership behaviors through recruitment, training, performance management, and health and well-being initiatives. Future research should explore broader organizational contexts, long-term effects, and the impact on employee well-being, health, and workplace outcomes.
The study explores the impact of Emotional Intelligence on Employee Performance among Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with the moderating role of Job Satisfaction and Transformational Leadership. The study adopted a quantitative research approach with an explanatory cross-sectional design, using a structured questionnaire to collect data. A sample of 590 respondents was surveyed, with 530 valid responses obtained. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The findings reveal that both Emotional Intelligence and Job Satisfaction have a positive and statistically significant effect on Employee Performance, confirming that employees with higher emotional intelligence and greater job satisfaction tend to perform better. However, the study also found that the interaction between Emotional Intelligence and Job Satisfaction and Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership did not significantly increase employee performance. Based on these findings, the study recommends that SMEs invest their time and resources in emotional intelligence development programs and focus on providing job satisfaction to improve performance. In conclusion, although Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, and Transformational Leadership are important contributors to employee performance, their interaction does not necessarily lead to better outcomes, highlighting the need for a more nuanced approach to performance management in SMEs.
Higher education institutions increasingly rely on lecturers’ ability to generate innovative practices and sustain high levels of academic productivity in teaching, research, and scholarly engagement. Despite these expectations, empirical evidence explaining how collaborative and psychological factors jointly shape academic outcomes remains limited. This study examines the roles of knowledge sharing, self-efficacy, and self-leadership in influencing innovative work behaviour and academic productivity among lecturers in higher education institutions. Using survey data collected from 312 lecturers from public and private institutions in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, the study employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the proposed relationships. The findings reveal that knowledge sharing and self-efficacy significantly predict innovative work behaviour and academic productivity, while self-leadership demonstrates a more nuanced role within the proposed model. Knowledge sharing emerged as the strongest predictor of academic productivity. The results highlight the importance of fostering collaborative academic environments and strengthening lecturers’ psychological resources and self-regulatory capabilities to enhance innovation and productivity in higher education. This study contributes empirical evidence to the higher education literature by demonstrating how social, psychological, and self-regulatory factors interact to influence academic outcomes within a Malaysian context.
This study focused on the effects of conflict on the petty trade. and social organization of women as most of them depend on retail trade for their livelihood. The paper explores the coping strategies of women after conflict and the relocation of business owners and wholesalers to other areas. To achieve the aim of this study, a qualitative method and a case study approach were used to ensure a comprehensive analysis of data. The study revealed a number of initiatives employed by the women to survive the vagaries of conflict during the aftermath. The institutions of traditional leadership are found to be the center of cultural identity which plays significant part in the social and economic advancement of the people. It is found that the women devised ways to survive and to cope with the situation by initiating mechanisms that sustained them and their families, particularly in caring for their children. The research may strengthen other women in similar situation not to wait for handouts from outside but to explore within themselves for empowerment to argument any support, in case, it is offered. This research may offer the authorities and development agencies empirical information to support women’s efforts in making their socioeconomic contribution for the betterment of society. Research on coping strategy of women after conflict is not new but the researchers opined that these are not enough to demonstrate their resilience. The originality of the study is based on the fact that the women did not explore the known strategies that are normally adopted but resorted to unique ways of supporting themselves to alleviate their suffering. One of those unique initiatives to cope including skill training offered by some of the women to colleagues voluntarily just to empower them as they struggle with their traumatic past.
This study investigates the influence of extrinsic motivation, organizational culture, and perceived organizational support on teachers' innovative performance in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, with job satisfaction serving as a mediating mechanism. The study used a quantitative design to collect data from 390 teachers through stratified random sampling. The study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze the data and test both direct and indirect relationships. The results show that organizational culture creates a strong positive impact on innovative performance, while extrinsic motivation and perceived organizational support fail to produce direct impacts. Both extrinsic motivation and perceived organizational support improve job satisfaction, but organizational culture does not establish any meaningful connection. Job satisfaction, however, exhibits a strong positive influence on innovative performance. The mediation analysis shows that job satisfaction acts as a significant mediator for the relationships between extrinsic motivation and innovative performance and perceived organizational support and innovative performance, but does not serve as a mediator between organizational culture and innovative performance. Theoretically, the study develops social exchange and motivation-based theories by demonstrating different pathways that lead to innovation. Practically, the study shows that organizations need to build up both motivational systems and support systems because these systems will help policymakers, school teachers and management become more satisfied with their activities while driving innovation forward. The study has two main limitations, which stem from its cross-sectional design and its focus on a particular context, while offering opportunities for future research through longitudinal and cross-cultural studies.
This research paper investigates the evolving role of HR from a traditional support function to a strategic business advisory unit by the year 2030, driven predominantly by the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Through a review of existing literature and empirical data collected from 150 business leaders (including CEOs, CFOs, HR professionals, and other department heads) via a structured questionnaire, this study examines the perceived readiness, challenges, and strategic imperatives for this transformation. The findings indicate a strong consensus on the strategic importance of AI-enabled HR but reveal significant gaps in current capabilities, data literacy, and ethical preparedness. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for organizations to bridge these gaps and leverage HR as a pivotal strategic partner in the AI-augmented future.
This study investigates absenteeism within a large U.S. utility provider, where the absence rate exceeded twice the national average. Using a cross-sectional, quantitative design, the research examined relationships between absenteeism and demographic factors (gender, age, tenure) as well as affective commitment. Survey data from 992 employees were analyzed using correlation, regression, and ANOVA. Results revealed that affective commitment was the only significant predictor of absenteeism, with higher commitment linked to approximately 14 fewer absence days annually. Gender, age, and tenure showed no significant relationships. Findings reinforce the central role of affective commitment in reducing absenteeism and highlight implications for HR practice, including the design of engagement programs, leadership training, flexible work options, and ethical HR analytics. By prioritizing strategies that build affective commitment, organizations may shift from short-term attendance policies toward sustainable approaches that enhance workforce reliability and performance.
Sexual harassment in public places of Pakistan is a social problem. In Pakistan, a good number of studies have been conducted on sexual harassment of women; however, they are based in educational institutes and educational institutions and Hospitals. This research examined effect of sexual harassment on female workers in service sector of Pakistan (Banking and Airline industry). It further discusses the relationship of sexual haressment with Job stress and employee turnover. The mediating effect shown of Job stress between and employee turnover intention and sexual harassment has also been discussed in detailed. The sample was 268 using questionnaires which were collected from female workers working in the two head offices of these organizations. Based on quantitative research approach the data analysis is done by using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 and Smart PLS software version 3.0. The results indicated that there is a significant harassment found in these two organizations as all 3 hypotheses are significantly correlated at p<0.01. This study also reinforces the idea that due to unpleasant working conditions employees can suffer from job stress which ultimately leads towards turnover.
In today’s rapidly evolving and technology-driven business environment, effective leadership is essential for achieving and sustaining organizational success. This study investigates the critical leadership competencies necessary to navigate volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions. Focusing on HR-driven initiatives, the research examines competencies including adaptability, emotional intelligence, digital fluency, strategic vision, and ethical decision-making. Utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological approach and guided by the SPIDER framework, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with HR professionals and business leaders from diverse industries. The comprehensive analysis reveals that leaders who integrate these competencies are more capable of fostering innovation, promoting inclusivity, and enhancing organizational resilience. Findings indicate that structured training programs emphasizing continuous learning, real-world application, and adaptive strategies are vital for cultivating future-ready leadership. Furthermore, aligning leadership development with overall business strategy not only strengthens competitive advantage but also ensures sustained performance in dynamic environments. The conclusions drawn from this research offer actionable insights and practical recommendations for HR practitioners seeking to design and implement effective leadership development programs. By contributing to the growing literature on leadership evolution, this study provides a framework for organizations aiming to build robust leadership pipelines that meet the challenges of the digital era and secure long-term success.
This study explores the professional development (PD) needs of mountain guides (MG) and aims to develop a structured empowerment model for mountain guide at the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark (KUGG). A qualitative and purposive sampling design was utilised in this study. Semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis were conducted, whereby the collected data was obtained from 40 mountain guides, 10 Geopark officials, and 20 climbers of KUGG. Through thematic analysis, data saturation was achieved across the three participant groups, whereby the recurring themes emerged consistently. The study found six key important areas of PD needed by the MG including environmental awareness and sustainability (1), cultural competency (2), visitor management and personalisation (3), advanced training skills (4), safety and emergency preparedness (5), communication and language proficiency (6). This study offers the first empirical grounded empowerment model through integrated multi-stakeholder approach in KUGG to enhance the professional capacity of mountain guide. The study indicates the important role of professionalized mountain guides to support sustainable tourism and engage with preserving the unique cultural and natural heritage in the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark.
In the fast-evolving African fintech industry, cross-border acquisitions present unique challenges, particularly in aligning talent expectations and organizational culture. This study explores the role of the talent management function before, during, and after an acquisition, focusing on the case of an African fintech (Company A) acquiring an American fintech (Company B). Unlike mergers, acquisitions often create power asymmetries, requiring strategic talent interventions to manage leadership transitions, employee retention, and cultural integration. Using a qualitative case study approach, this research draws insights from semi-structured interviews with HR leaders, managers, and employees who have navigated both acquiring and acquired scenarios. The study examines how talent management contributes to aligning workforce expectations, mitigating cultural friction, and ensuring organisational stability through all phases of acquisition. Findings highlight key talent integration challenges, such as disparities in organizational culture, leadership expectations, and workforce adaptation strategies between African and American fintech firms. This paper contributes to the limited research on talent management in African fintech acquisitions, offering practical insights for HR professionals, leaders, and policymakers involved in cross-border transactions. By addressing critical talent-related misalignments, this study provides a framework for enhancing cultural synergy and long-term workforce engagement in global fintech acquisitions.
The imbalance between job demands and job resources creates strain on employees. Work-life policies address one aspect of this imbalance by contributing to job resources. Most of these policies are relatively new for most individuals and organizations in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and not all policies are applied. This study explores public sector employees’ perceptions of work-life balance policies in the Kingdom of Bahrain. An online survey examining work-life balance levels among public sector employees collected 415 responses. The findings showed that employees perceived the current policies adopted in the public sector to be convenient but insufficient. Some participants mentioned that the legislated policies were not implemented in their organizations, while others stated that they hesitated to utilize the policies because doing so would affect their chances of career progression. Females, millennials, and younger employees showed a higher interest in more flexibility and support to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The study recommended raising awareness of the importance of work-life balance among policymakers and leaders and enforcing the implementation of existing policies for applicable jobs.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote work have accelerated the need for businesses to reassess their talent management strategies, particularly for globally dispersed teams. This study explores the impact of virtual work on psychological contracts within FinAfrica (anonymised), a pan-African fintech company, and proposes strategies to mitigate perceived breaches. Utilizing a qualitative research approach, the study involved semi-structured interviews with both internal and external respondents. Findings reveal that trust, onboarding, and alignment of organizational values are critical to maintaining positive psychological contracts in virtual teams. This paper offers recommendations to enhance talent management practices in virtual contexts, along with insights for future research.
In today's volatile job market, characterized by rapid technological change, economic uncertainty, and shifting workforce dynamics, retaining top talent has become a critical challenge for organizations. This paper explores best practices for talent retention in such an unpredictable environment, emphasizing the importance of adaptive leadership, employee engagement, and a supportive organizational culture. Key strategies include offering competitive and flexible compensation packages, fostering continuous learning opportunities, and promoting work-life balance to enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, creating a sense of purpose through meaningful work, transparent communication, and strong career development paths can help to increase commitment, loyalty, and retention rates.By investing in employee well-being and aligning organizational goals with individual aspirations, companies can cultivate a resilient workforce, ensuring long-term success despite external challenges. The paper also highlights the role of Deloitte as a company that embraces and leads the industry in supporting retention efforts, such as leveraging data analytics to identify potential retention risks and personalizing employee experiences. Ultimately, a holistic and proactive approach to talent retention is essential for organizations to thrive in a rapidly changing job market.
Employees are central to organizational success, and their well-being significantly impacts productivity and organizational growth. However, Human Resource (HR) practices that support employee well-being in for-profit organizations often differ from those needed in nonprofit sectors, particularly within African contexts. This study investigates the influence of well-being-related policies, practices, and products on employees in African nonprofits, specifically focusing on organizations in Nigeria and South Africa. Through literature reviews and assessments of four nonprofits, the research reveals that traditional HR practices covering staffing, performance management, compensation, training, and career development often do not align with established HRM theories. Many organizations lack dedicated HR roles, and there is a notable scarcity of policies and tools to promote employee well-being. Furthermore, leadership accountability and a well-defined organizational culture are frequently minimal. Given the donor-dependent nature of these nonprofits and the importance of maintaining HRM standards, this study develops a framework for integrating employee well-being as a key performance indicator (KPI). This framework redefines HR practices as a functional role rather than merely a position and emphasizes gradual investment in employees. It introduces practical tools, such as an employee well-being charter and a visioning matrix, and encourages nonprofits to implement these tools, set measurable targets, and ensure accountability through metrics like employee satisfaction surveys. This approach aims to enhance transparency and foster a culture of continuous improvement in employee well-being within African nonprofits.
Employee retention represents a strategic and integrated process that begins with an examination of the reasons employees choose to join an organisation. The human resource strategies implemented by a firm significantly impact an employee's decision to remain within that organisation. Grounded in social exchange theory, it is posited that when employees perceive their contributions as valuable, they are more likely to stay. However, there is a notable lack of studies that extend the model of employer branding factors influencing employee retention. This study argues that job satisfaction and intrinsic motivational elements, such as core self-evaluation, can either enhance or impede the relationship between employer branding factors and employee retention. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between employer branding factors and employee retention while considering the moderating effects of job satisfaction and core self-evaluation. Data were gathered through an online survey of 385 employees working in Iraqi banks. The findings indicate that employer branding factors—including supervisor support, job conditions, compensation, work-life balance, job advancement, and job security—exert a significant direct influence on employee retention. Moreover, job satisfaction was found to positively moderate these relationships, except for supervisor support. In contrast, core self-evaluation did not demonstrate a moderating effect on the relationships between compensation, work-life balance, and employee retention.
This paper studies the risks of not engaging in challenging projects after retirement and emphasizes the importance of active participation in various activities. By finding meaningful pursuits, retirees not only enhance their own lives but can also significantly contribute to the well-being of their communities. Encouraging retirees to explore new interests, volunteer, and engage in fulfilling projects can help mitigate these risks and lead to a more rewarding retirement experience.The authors investigate the factors that spark the retirees' curiosity, particularly within the Arab World and Gulf States (GCC), highlighting the importance of sustaining life purposefulness post-retirement. Through the extensive synthesis of the literature reviewed, the paper presents a novel framework aimed at preserving retirees' contributions, complemented by a toolkit designed to enhance resilience amid transformative eras. The research opens avenues for empirical studies on aging economies within Arab countries, emphasizing readiness for employability and ongoing competency development. It advocates for a roadmap to ignite retiree interests through inquiry-based learning, addressing emerging challenges such as adaptability and learning through exploration.The authors also examine the early retirement trends driven by technological advancements, revealing underutilization of retirees' expertise and proposing methods to mitigate this through structured community involvement. With retirement demographics poised to shift significantly by 2050 in the Arab region, the need for robust pension systems and enhanced social services is underscored. The approach fosters skill transfer and community capacity building through volunteerism, mentorship programs, and intergenerational projects, aiming to integrate retirees as valuable societal contributors. This comprehensive framework re-engineers retirement into enablers phase and risk mitigation phase. The integration of both creates better strategic engagement and lifelong learning, promoting retirees' social interaction, mental stimulation, and overall well-being, ultimately enhancing the socioeconomic fabric of their communities.
The study's main goal was to ascertain how funding influences university-industry linkages and how it influences sustainable employment. The research design was triangulation (mixed method). The targeted population consisted of CCTU lecturers (N=175) with a sample of n=120 and 5 managers selected from organisations which has collaborated with CCTU. The Cochran sample size formula was used to determine the appropriate sample size. Stratification was the sampling technique used, and the respondents were chosen using a simple random method. The SEM-PLS (v. 4) and IBM SPSS software (v. 27) were used to analysed the data. The main findings were that university-industry linkages have a statistically significant positive direct effect on sustainable employability (UIL->SE, β=0.898, (95% CI:0.862, 0.927), t=55.03, p>0.05; R2=0.806). It was estimated that university-industry linkages accounted for an 80.6% effect on sustainable employment. Nevertheless, university-industry linkages still have a significant positive effect on sustainable employability when mediated through funding. (UIL->FUN->SE, β=0.872 and 0.278 (95% CI:0.862, 0.927), t=3.696, p˂0.05; R2 = 0.825. The model accounted for an 82.5% indirect effect when funding mediated between the studied variables. Again, the level of linkages is low; hence, there is a gap between the requisite manpower needs and technology transfer. At CCTU, student internships, workshop seminars, publications and reports, training courses, and consulting services were the main collaborations. The main sustainable skills for employability were personal qualities, core skills, and subject knowledge. It was recommended that the government should fund university-industry partnerships and that universities should intensify linkage programs and budget for linkage programs. Universities should collaborate with industry and NGOs to secure funding through joint research. Since linkages are low, the supervising authorities of the tertiary institutions should enforce the implementation of linkages policies in all universities.
Remuneration and promotion of employees are essential elements in public and private organisational structures. However, there is very little information about how these elements can influence job satisfaction of employees in educational institutions, especially at the tertiary level in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ghana. This study was undertaken to examine the perspectives of lecturers about how pay and promotion influence job satisfaction in tertiary institutions in Ghana. The study used a mixed method approach for the data collection and analysis. Survey questionnaires and interview protocols were used for the data collection involving 270 participants selected from five tertiary institutions in the Northern Region of Ghana. A logistic regression was used to establish the relationship between academic staff pay and promotion and job satisfaction. The key findings from the study indicated that pay and promotion independently have significant positive influence on job satisfaction of academic staff in tertiary institutions in Ghana. Policy geared towards annual review of salaries and effective promotion system of academic staff of higher educational institutions are important strategies to help generate the desired job satisfaction.
This aim of this study is to conceptualize the influence of HRM practices (such as job promotion, salary and benefit, training and development) towards job satisfaction among millennial employees in China. Millennial employees are important workforce undertaking major work initiatives in different posts of diverse industries. A framework of inspecting job satisfaction among millennial employees from some practices of HRM has been formulated to conceptualize the correlation between the related variables. Four propositions are constructed. Firstly, HRM practices have a positive effect on employees’ job satisfaction. Secondly, there is a significantly positive relationship between job promotion and employees’ job satisfaction when employees who produce results can get promoted opportunities. Thirdly, there is a significantly positive relationship between salary and benefit and employees’ job satisfaction where a good and reasonable system of wage and compensation is implemented. Finally, there is a significantly positive relationship between training and development and employees’ job satisfaction in those kinds of organizations where employees are filled with ambition and motivation to pursuit self-improvement. This research will benefit HRM practitioners with acquiring some aspiration as well as implications. Meanwhile, it is helpful for organizations or enterprises to keep rapid development by accessing some knowledge of HRM to make some pertinent strategies.
