Operational Sustainability and Digital Leadership for Cybercrime Prevention

The digital world of work and social media, despite its challenges, is here to stay as an integrated part of our day-to-day operational norms. Therefore, we must make the best of it on a proactive basis before the private data of our employees and consumers becomes hacked remotely by criminals. Privacy violations and hacking of data cannot be sustained since they can be very costly and may even lead to bankruptcy. As such, today’s leaders, managers, and educators have the responsibility of preparing their future replacements for the modern digital economy, so their organizations’ operational processes can remain competitive, safe, and sustainable. Operational sustainability, in this paper, is proposed as a tripod or “three-legged stool” of environmental, social, and digital responsibility. With more employees and entrepreneurs accessing digital data remotely through vulnerable or unsecure online platforms, the opportunities for cybercrimes rise. Therefore, this article focuses more on the often-neglected digitalization element of operational sustainability. All leaders must be aware of the legal, social, and environmental expectations of a digital society by doing what is good for the world while also being efficient and safe from cybercriminals. The paper proposes that future leaders must be socialized with a sustainability mindset about data privacy and safety measures that are necessary for this fast-changing digital economy where hackers and artificial intelligence (AI) tools can make the process more challenging. With AI being used by some actors to generate false yet realistic content, companies will have to do more to make sure their brands are not defamed or tarnished. As such, this conceptual article discusses a model for operational sustainability, which includes the privacy and safety of data that can be used by managers, educators and other leaders for training and development purposes in today’s digital world of work.

Stress perceptions and leadership orientation of Malaysians： Exploring their similarities and differences with Americans

To explore the management orientation of employees in Malaysia and the United States, this paper focuses on comparing the leadership and stress perception of respondents in these two different countries. It appears that Malaysians and Americans have a significantly higher score on the relationship-orientation than task-orientation. Similarly, the female respondents in Malaysia had a significantly higher score on the relationship orientation. Finally, the responses of these 216 Malaysian respondents were compared with the 87 Americans, demonstrating significantly higher scores for respondents from the U.S. on both orientations. For management and practical application, suggestions and implications for future studies are presented.

Mental Health Intervention in the Workplace amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this project is to examine why the mental health of employees should be prioritized in the workplace. Most employees have likely experienced a visible illness or injury at some point during their careers. It is easier to identify these physical ailments that may adversely affect an employee’s performance at work, such as a broken leg or the common cold. However, there are conditions that are much less visible that negatively impact employees every day, and mental health is one of them. A person’s mental health is a significant factor in their work life that should not be ignored. While it may be difficult to recognize when someone is struggling with depression, anxiety, or another form of mental illness on the surface, employers should not automatically assume their entire staff is okay. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with an increase in civil unrest in society, employers must reevaluate the way they conduct business, starting with the treatment of their employees. To aid employers with prioritizing mental health at work, this paper’s objectives are to address the stigma associated with mental health issues/illness, develop recommendations for inclusive work environments, increase an employer’s investment in mental health, reduce employee turnover, and normalize respect in the workplace. The findings are discussed, and recommendations are provided. Employers who intentionally prioritize and invest in their employees’ mental health will significantly reduce the costs associated with attracting and recruiting new staff due to high turnover rates. Additionally, their reputation as a preferred employer will increase.