The aim of the study is to identify the requirements for qualifying administrative leaders and the challenges they face at King Khalid University, in light of the general framework of the Human Capacities Development Program, which includes four dimensions (values and behaviours-basic skills-future skills-knowledge). A descriptive approach was used, and the study population consisted of academic leaders at King Khalid University, totalling (107). A questionnaire was used as a research tool, comprising three axes and (53) statements to collect data after ensuring their validity and reliability. The results showed the agreement of the study population on the axis of requirements for qualifying administrative leaders at King Khalid University to a very high degree, with an average score of (4.44), and their agreement on the challenges facing the qualification of administrative leaders at King Khalid University to a very high degree, with an average score of (4.11), and their agreement on the mechanisms for qualifying administrative leaders at King Khalid University to a very high degree, with an average score of (4.29). The results also showed no statistically significant differences at the significance level (0.05) between the means of responses of the study population on the requirements, challenges, and mechanisms for qualifying administrative leaders according to variables (gender-academic qualification—experience in the current job). In light of the study results, a proposed strategy was developed, and recommendations were made, including adopting the proposed strategy and governing the programs for qualifying administrative leaders at King Khalid University to ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability at all stages from nomination, preparation, and evaluation, in addition to considering the university’s strategic plan when designing programs for qualifying administrative leaders to adopt the values embraced by the administration and build leaders who contribute to achieving its vision and mission in the long term.

This study aims to elucidate the digital transformation process in Tunisian companies, identify its driving factors, and explain its key success factors. We examine a sample of 70 companies across various economic sectors using a Multinomial Logistic regression to assess the impact of digital strategy, corporate culture, and leadership on digital transformation success. The dependent variable “digital maturity” is categorized into low, medium, and high, with medium serving as the reference category. The results indicate a significant and positive effect of digital strategy on digital transformation success. Leadership influences companies at a low level of digital maturity but does not significantly impact those at a high maturity level. Corporate culture does not significantly affect digital transformation. Digital strategy is crucial for the success of digital transformation in Tunisian companies, while leadership plays a role primarily at lower maturity levels. Corporate culture, however, does not significantly contribute to digital maturity. The study provides insights for Tunisian companies and policymakers to focus on developing robust digital strategies and leadership qualities to enhance digital transformation efforts. This research expands the theoretical base on digital transformation in the Tunisian context, identifying critical success factors and barriers, and confirming the significant role of digital strategy in successful digital transformations.

This paper contributes to a long-standing debate in development practice: under what conditions can externally established participatory groups engage in the collective management of services beyond the life of a project? Using 10 years of panel data on water point functionality from Indonesia’s rural water program, the Program for Community-Based Water Supply and Sanitation, the paper explored the determinants of subnational variation in infrastructure sustainability. It then investigated positive and negative deviance cases to answer why some communities successfully engaged in system management despite being located in difficult conditions as per quantitative findings and vice versa. The findings show that differences in the implementation of community participation, driven by local social relations between frontline service providers, that is, village authorities and water user groups, explain sustainable management. This initial condition of state-society relations influences how the project is initiated, kicking off negative or positive reinforcing pathways, leading to community collective action or exit. The paper concludes that the relationships between frontline government representatives and community actors are important and are an underexamined aspect of the ability of external projects to generate successful community-led management of public goods.

Effective small and medium enterprise (SME) leadership demands creative solutions to ensure organisations survive and thrive during the turbulent times that COVID-19 continues to bring. This paper explores how SME leaders (in micro and small organisations) prioritise and access the skills and development needed to provide effective and sustainable leadership to organisations, focusing on the role of resilience and the benefits it provides. Participants were selected through purposive and snowballing sampling. Online surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted and provided qualitative data that contributes to an understanding of the role of resilience and the view of participants as to what is needed to effectively respond to a dynamic environment. Evidence shows that SME leaders prioritise learning and development opportunities that provide demonstrable benefits throughout the organisation. Building business resilience remains a fuzzy concept; however, viewing resilience as a multi-level construct offers benefits when designing and delivering development opportunities. It has been found that networking, partnerships, and relationship building promote resilience and may offer a solution to how to embed resilience building into development opportunities that SME leaders value and wish to engage with. This article contributes by illustrating and exploring leadership development within SMEs during a period of unexpected and untested uncertainty. The pandemic caused major shock waves within business communities, and SMEs were significantly affected. The research is limited in that it is expected to be a once-in-a lifetime event, and as such conditions may not be replicable, learning opportunities for other ‘shock’ events are possible. The findings of this paper have relevance to practice in that, while the event may be one-off, shocks to the business environment are not.

This study aimed to gain insights into the attitudes and strategies of top management regarding workplace happiness within a semi-government organization in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Six senior managers at the organization were interviewed to explore their perspectives on employee happiness and the initiatives implemented to enhance it. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed several key findings. Top managers demonstrated strong commitment and willingness to prioritize employee well-being through long-term research-driven improvements. A variety of strategies incorporating personal, organizational, and Human Resources Management (HRM) factors known to impact happiness were utilized. Religious considerations and empowerment initiatives respect personal values while fostering intrinsic motivation. Top leaders modeled strategic priorities through their conduct, emphasizing visible support. The organization balanced individual needs with organizational goals respectfully. The findings provide practical implications for optimizing retention and performance outcomes through dedicated strategic happiness efforts guided by empirical research. However, more extensive research across diverse populations could further advance understanding in this field.

This article aims to elucidate governance primarily from the perspective of collaboration and leadership in managing disasters. This article studies the case of Indonesia, a country with frequent and complex nature of disasters, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire to analyze its disaster management system and draw out implications from its experience. The method used is a qualitative comprehensive and systematic review from national and international earthquake occurrences. The finding is that Indonesia is simultaneously carrying out disaster management which is not contradictory but complementary. The importance of collaboration is imposed and recommendations are offered on rectifying collaborative activities’ value. Modern leadership strategies suggest that acquire their power from effective strategies and transformational power rather than standard operating procedures. This paper provides lessons on how to organize earthquake management through aspects of collaboration and leadership effectively. The author suggests optimizing the potential of the community by providing special assistance to increase disaster management efforts.