CEO Vigilant Leadership,Enterprise Digital Transformation,and Crisis Performance
The sudden onset of crises like natural disasters,public health emergencies,and geopolitical issues can greatly affect the hiring,production,and order transportation of traditional manufacturing companies.With crises emerging unexpectedly,manufacturing companies face highly uncertain and complex conditions.To maintain production and delivery,they must adopt adaptive strategies that not only support crisis performance but are also vital for the stability of the industry as a whole.Accelerating digital transformation is one such strategy.By doing so,companies can better track transportation and production,reduce reliance on labor,and boost efficiency.Firms with advanced digital systems are more capable of responding to crises and recovering afterward through smart operations,automated factories,and contactless logistics.Therefore,how traditional manufacturers can transform digitally to thrive in crisis situations is critical to their survival and the security of the industry.In times of organizational crises,CEOs must exhibit change-oriented leadership,clearly defining the direction of change and communicating its urgency to drive action within the organization.This study,drawing on organizational change theory,examines the impact of CEO vigilance on crisis performance.It argues that digital transformation is a specific form of organizational change,and that vigilant leadership,which focuses on addressing crises to boost organizational motivation,can effectively promote digital transformation and enhance performance during crises.This leadership style is particularly effective when organizational inertia is strong,further amplifying its positive impact.Through a survey of 509 executives from 114 manufacturing companies in a supply chain and objective performance matching data analysis,the study found that CEO's vigilant leadership can effectively promote digital transformation and enhance the organizational performance of manufacturing companies in crisis situations.This crisis performance is reflected not only in the ability to accurately and efficiently meet customer needs and obtain their positive feedback in crisis situations(crisis supply performance),but also in obtaining higher overall performance in crisis situations(crisis organizational performance).Furthermore,organizational inertia not only moderates the impact of CEO's vigilant leadership on digital transformation,but also moderates the mediating role of digital transformation between CEO's vigilant leadership and organizational crisis performance.When organizational inertia is high,digital transformation plays a stronger mediating role between CEO's vigilant leadership and organizational crisis performance.The theoretical contributions of this study are as follows:First,it uncovers the transformation mechanism of China's traditional manufacturing supply chain in crises from a leadership perspective,offering insights into the practical processes and theoretical foundations of China's industrial modernization.It demonstrates that digital transformation is a key strategy for traditional manufacturing enterprises to manage crises and stabilize the supply chain.Moreover,the CEO serves as a bridge between the external environment and organizational change,underscoring their role in differentiating between crisis response and digital transformation.Second,the study examines the context and mechanism of CEO vigilant leadership,contributing to the understanding of local leadership in China.It finds that vigilant leadership helps overcome organizational inertia,boosting both crisis supply performance and overall crisis performance in manufacturing firms.This enriches research on vigilant leadership,addressing a gap in the literature,which has primarily focused on team supervisors.Finally,the study sheds light on organizational crisis supply chain performance and resilience.While existing research mainly emphasizes technology,collaboration,and inventory management,it has overlooked the role of CEOs in the supply chain.This study shows that strong CEO vigilant leadership enhances crisis response and improves supply performance.Future research on supply chain management should further explore the impact of CEO leadership from different perspectives and reveal its potential mechanisms.Our findings suggest that CEOs,as organizational leaders,should strengthen their vigilant leadership.In times of crisis,they need to not only set a clear direction for organizational change but also communicate the urgency of this change to employees,taking on the responsibility of leading it.It's important to note that vigilant leadership by the CEO works best in specific situations.When an organization lacks the drive to respond to crises and resists change,vigilant leadership can be especially effective in pushing for digital transformation.For traditional manufacturing companies,digital transformation during a crisis can greatly improve their ability to survive,ensuring continued production,enhancing supply capabilities,and boosting overall performance during the crisis.
CEO's vigilant leadershipdigital transformationcrisis performanceorganizational change theory
万方数据
维普
