Senior management support, digital managerial capabilities, and sustainable performance: gender differences in leadership in Mexican manufacturing companies

Abstract

Digital transformation and sustainability are important topics for manufacturing companies in these times, where companies compete in markets in which consumers are more aware of their environment and their impact on the planet. Industry 4.0 represents a strategic factor for minimizing these impacts and achieving performance objectives in the medium and long term. However, it is still necessary to understand how top management support drives the adoption of this industry and how gender leadership influences such adoption. Therefore, this study aims to examine the role of top management support for Industry 4.0 in the development of digital management capabilities and sustainable performance, considering the influence of gender. Using a quantitative approach and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), with data from 304 manufacturing companies in Mexico, 89 of which are led by female CEO´s. The results confirm that top management support significantly improves digital management capabilities and sustainable performance, and that digital management capabilities contribute positively to sustainability outcomes. However, gender does not show a significant moderate effect on these relationships. In contrast, the multi-group analysis (MGA) reveals structural differences between male and female leadership.