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Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management - Call for Papers: Special Issue on Change management based on SAP-LAP models for sustainable development

Guest Editors:

Elena G. Popkova, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University), Russia, email: elenapopkova@yahoo.com (this opens in a new tab)
Bruno S. Sergi, Harvard University, USA and University of Messina, Italy, email: bsergi@fas.harvard.edu (this opens in a new tab)


Modern business is the fastest-growing system which, on the one hand, is highly dependent on the external (market) environment as a key determinant of its development, and on the other hand, is changing this environment through internal processes, thus setting other market participants in motion (Vrtana et al., 2021).  Flexibility, achieved through change management, guarantees the stability and sustainability of the business because it ensures its timely or even anticipatory adaptation to a new market environment; moreover, it offers opportunities for the adjustment of this environment according to its priorities (Mullakhmetov et al., 2020).

Renunciation of changes is equivalent to inaction; it puts business on a path of gradual or rapid collapse due to the gradually growing gap in the internal and external environment. By contrast, change management makes it possible to take control of changes and achieve harmony, as well as a balanced internal and external business environment. From a strategic perspective, change management allows the business to achieve its goals and to hold/fortify its positions in the destination market in the longer term.

Sustainable business development is a comprehensive concept that includes, first, stable and crisis-free operation of the business system – its ability to offset the impact of adverse internal and external factors, break-even operation, steady growth and progress (Ahmed et al., 2022; Fu et al., 2022; Larbi-Siaw et al., 2022; Mulkhan, 2022). Second, support for the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in business. In the “Decade of Action”, the importance of business in the implementation of the SDGs has increased, since it is at the level of business systems where practical results are feasible and achievable in real-time. The flexibility of business that is achieved through change management allows it to constantly find new ways of supporting the SDGs and achieve increasingly greater success in them (Dwivedi et al., 2021; Ensign, 2022; Stibe, 2020).

The problem resides in the fact that, despite the generally recognized pivotal role of change management in sustainable business development, the causal relationships of changes are understudied and require further research. The complexity of the business itself as a dynamic system, the changeability of its external environment, as well as its flexibility in the change management process, cannot always be fully and timely recorded and measured by official statistics.

SAP-LAP, an integrated and innovative case analysis platform that was developed by Prof. Dr Sushil (2001), can significantly contribute to solving this problem. The SAP-LAP model consists of six principal components: situation, actors, process, training, action and execution (Deshmukh et al., 2022; Dhakate and Joshi, 2020; Siva Kumar and Anbanandam, 2020). The combination of empirical studies (based on official statistics, quantitative) and case studies (based on qualitative analysis) is key to a better understanding of the causal relationships of change management and sustainable business development.

This special issue is concerned with the in-depth study of sustainable business development through change management and implies the use of SAP-LAP models for the achievement of the most complete and accurate results, as well as their reliable interpretation.

We welcome the papers that combine quantitative and qualitative (case) studies of change management for sustainable development through the use of SAP-LAP models. This Call for Papers is aimed at supporting the scholarly dispute on the paradox of sustainable business development through change management, that is, achieving stability via changes. Studies from different levels of management of dynamic systems are accepted: from business to integration associations of business entities and entrepreneurship in general. The sub-themes that are covered by this special issue include:

The importance of change management for sustainable business development. All business systems are widely different, just as the markets in which they operate and develop (Xiu et al., 2019). This prevents us from offering any all-inclusive solutions in change management; instead, it requires a creative and innovative approach to managing changes. Nevertheless, common patterns and specific features of individual business systems and markets can and should be identified (Stål et al., 2022). Research questions include but are not limited to the following:

  • What kind of changes are there? What are their specific features? How are they distinguished in terms of their importance for sustainable business development?
  • What business systems need change management in a greater or lesser degree?
  • What are the specific features of change management in different markets with different industry specializations of businesses?
  • What are the determinants of change management for sustainable business development?

Best international practices and models of change management for sustainable business development. In the globalised world, economies are closely interrelated, yet they maintain their national and regional specific features. The study of best international practices is useful in identifying the consistent patterns and trends of change management, as well as establishing the prospects of improvement of change management practices – maximization of its contribution to sustainable business development. Research questions include but are not limited to the following:

  • What are the best practices of change management for sustainable business development in developed countries?
  • What are the advances, barriers and prospects of improving change management for sustainable business development in developing countries, including emerging economies – in the fastest-growing markets?
  • What are the change management models for sustainable business development across the world (Asia, Europe, America, Africa, Australia and Australasia)?

Challenges of sustainable business development and specific features of change management in the age of the economic crisis. From the perspective of the Systems Theory, the crisis is a “bifurcation point” which must be followed by the establishment of a new order. Change management is a mechanism for harmonizing a dynamic business system which enables it to find its place in the new order (status quo) and even to influence the establishment of the Pareto optimum market of the set which is the most advantageous for business (Matskulyak et al., 2020; Mokline and Ben Abdallah, 2022). Research questions include but are not limited to the following:

  • What challenges for sustainable business development have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and crisis, and have they accelerated change management?
  • What is the impact of the international sanction crisis on change management for sustainable business development?

The advantages of using smart technologies in change management for sustainable business development. Change management requires consistent consideration of many factors and involves fast complex decision-making. Smart technologies make it possible to improve this decision-making process, yet their role is controversial. On the one hand, smart technologies allow reducing the influence of the “human factor” and streamlining the decision-making process, thus improving the change management efficiency (Tagliaro and Ciaramella, 2016). On the other hand, these technologies are expensive and difficult to implement, they are often beyond the reach of small and medium-sized enterprises (Popkova et al., 2021; Popkova et al., 2022; Popkova and Sergi, 2021). In pursuit of expediency, smart technologies can cause high social costs of change management, improving the financial sustainability of businesses yet reducing its contribution to the implementation of the SDGs. Research questions include but are not limited to the following:

  • How can change management based on smart technologies be organized to maximize the benefits for sustainable business development?
  • How can the risks of using smart technologies in change management be reduced and how can the benefits for change management be ensured?

Change management for sustainable business development from the perspective of innovations. Changes often assume the form of know-how and are disregarded by official statistics (Singh et al., 2021). It is therefore important to make a distinction between technological innovations (which are supported by patents and expressed in the manufacture and sales of cutting-edge technologies and high-technology products) and marketing and organizational innovations (Lu et al., 2022; Sun and Qiu, 2022). Further, it is important to distinguish between disruptive and incremental innovations according to Christensen (2011). Research questions include but are not limited to the following:

  • What is the contribution made by change management to the development of the innovative economy as a source of sustainable business development?
  • What innovations are preferred in change management for sustainable business development?
  • Are innovations essential? Do they always emerge in change management for sustainable business development?

Change management is based on corporate social responsibility for sustainable business development. Any changes increase the level of uncertainty and the risk for the parties concerned (Katebi et al., 2022). The implications of changes can be both positive and negative (Ahmed et al., 2019). The risks and negative implications of change management, particularly for employment, labour conditions and intensity of work, environment, availability and quality of products deserve high attention (Fidlerová et al., 2022; Wentzel et al., 2022). Therefore, for sustainable business development, it is expedient to manage changes based on corporate social responsibility (Andersson et al., 2022). Research questions include but are not limited to the following:

  • What are the priorities of change management based on corporate social responsibility for sustainable business development?
  • What is the role of corporate social responsibility in change management for sustainable business development?
  • How far are the benefits for sustainable business development determined by the level and practices of corporate social responsibility in change management?

Open access: full compliance with the requirements/principles of the Journal regarding open access policy is guaranteed. Three papers will be published in open access. Due to the absence of financing all other papers will be published without open access.

Articles will undergo all of the journal's standard peer review and editorial processes outlined in its submission guidelines

Important dates
•    Submission of Full Papers: December 31, 2023
•    Expected Publication: Q1/2024

For more details and clarification, authors may reach out to guest editor – Elena G. Popkova <elenapopkova@yahoo.com (this opens in a new tab)>.

Format of contribution: The format of research papers and ethical standards should comply with the styles of Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management at https://www.springer.com/journal/40171/submission-guidelines (this opens in a new tab).  

References

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