IV. NEW PERSPECTIVES ON MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATIONAL RESILIENCE

NGO activities in changing contexts: a realistic synthesis perspective

This study analyzes how the practices and classifications of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are formed in today’s institutional, governance, funding, and political environment. The study aims to explain how, in specific contexts, mechanisms are activated that structure NGOs’ actions and determine their positions in interactions among civil society, the state, and the market. The study uses a two-stage qualitative methodology that combines a literature review and a realistic synthesis approach. The literature review stage structures the literature on NGOs’ operating principles. At the same time, realistic synthesis helps identify the various contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes that explain how institutional, funding, governance, and political environments condition NGOs’ activities and outcomes. The study shows that NGO activities cannot be reduced to well-known types; instead, they are shaped by dynamic interactions between external expectations and internal interpretations within the organization. The study offers a conceptual basis for revising the traditional approach to NGO classification and can contribute to a broader understanding of NGOs in both academic research and policy planning.

Territories in transformation: multi-stakeholder governance strategies and social value creation in community–company relations

The purpose of this study is to analyze three Brazilian territories marked by tense relationships between companies and communities, seeking to understand how these ties are constructed over time. This study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach (Eisenhardt, 1989). From an epistemological standpoint, the study is grounded in an interpretivist perspective (Cunliffe, 2011). The findings indicate that multi-stakeholder governance is a dynamic process, in which organizational arrangements, power distribution and forms of social value creation are continuously reconfigured over time. The study demonstrates how governance models emerge, evolve and are contested throughout the relationship cycle, thereby influencing the generation of social value. Although the study does not measure social impact through public policy indicators, its findings engage with key challenges of the 2030 Agenda, particularly sustainable development goals (SDG) 16 (governance, coordination and legitimacy in contexts of institutional fragility), SDG 10 (power asymmetries and the expansion of community participation) and SDG 11 (territorial dynamics and firm–community relationships). Thus, the article provides an analytical foundation for understanding how multi-stakeholder arrangements may enable or constrain more equitable and sustainable responses in Global South territories. This study makes three contributions to the literature on multi-stakeholder governance (Bridoux & Stoelhorst, 2022) and social value creation (Lazzarini, 2020).

Environmental, Social, and Governance: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles have become essential for companies seeking to avoid greenwashing and promote genuine sustainability practices. This study aims to identify the practices, barriers, and strategies for adopting ESG as a competitive strategy. A systematic literature review was conducted, which included a bibliometric analysis of 496 documents. This generated four clusters, with content analysis applied to 20 documents presenting the highest PageRank per cluster, for a total of 80 documents. The clusters are (i) innovation and green performance, (ii) influence on corporate and financial performance, (iii) communication and transparency, and (iv) diverse governance and corporate sustainability. For every cluster, the practices, barriers, and strategies for adopting ESG principles were analyzed. In addition, a research agenda was developed with questions for future research and methodological suggestions. Finally, a framework with the main practices is presented so that companies and decision‐makers can adopt ESG as a competitive strategy.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN INSTITUTIONAL PROJECTS: BARRIERS AND SUCCESS FACTORS

The relevance of the topic is due to the need to modernize the architecture of modern institutions in the context of European integration, digitalization and systemic crises, which requires a transition from rigid bureaucratic structures to flexible management models. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate and practically systematize specific barriers that arise in the process of managing changes in institutional projects, as well as to identify key success factors that can ensure the effectiveness of large-scale organizational transformations. The methodological basis of the study is a set of methods of scientific knowledge, in particular: using systemic and structural-functional analysis, the institutional environment was investigated as a holistic ecosystem and the nature of interaction between the levels of its hierarchy, comparative analysis was used to compare commercial and institutional project management, the classification and typification method allowed to structure the identified barriers, the matrix method of stakeholder mapping was used to model strategies for interaction with stakeholders according to the criteria of their influence and interest, the generalization method was used as the basis for updating the categorical apparatus of the theory of change management and forming an adaptive management model. The results obtained consist in the formation of a holistic architecture of barriers to institutional change, which are differentiated into structural and organizational (bureaucratization, hierarchy, inertia), regulatory and resource (legislative rigidity, lack of capital and competencies) and psychological and behavioral. It is proven that the greatest threat is latent resistance of personnel and imitation of support from line management against the background of low readiness for change. A system of success factors is modeled, where the leading role is assigned to transformational leadership and two-way transparent communications. The effectiveness of process and integrative approaches to synchronize project decisions with the daily operational activities of institutions is substantiated. The practical value of the results obtained is that the proposed stakeholder interaction matrices and adaptive management models can be directly used to diagnose the organization’s readiness for reforms, develop preventive communication strategies, reduce the level of personnel resistance and optimize resource allocation during the implementation of real transformation programs in the public and corporate sectors.

Public Management and Policy

Unpacking the Relationship Between Market Competition and Environmental, Social, and Governance ( ESG ) Performance: A Systematic Review

This study conducts a systematic literature review to assess the complex relationship between market competition and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Using the PRISMA framework, 45 peer‐reviewed articles (2002–2025) are analyzed through the TCCM (Theory–Context–Characteristic–Methodology) framework. The findings show that the impact of competition on ESG is conditional rather than uniform. Competition can enhance ESG through differentiation, innovation, and legitimacy, but can also constrain it through cost pressures and managerial short‐termism. Market competition further acts as a contextual moderator, shaping how individual characteristics, firm characteristics, governance, and institutional environments influence ESG outcomes. These results suggest that ESG should be understood as a strategic response to competitive and institutional conditions, rather than a standardized one‐size‐fits‐all approach or compliance‐driven activity.