Mirta Díaz-Fernández

This study examines the transfer of gamified training activities aimed at developing key workplace competences, focusing on creativity, innovation and decision‐making within a specific organisational context. We conducted an exploratory case study in a Spanish public‐sector organisation. Data were collected through pre‐ and post‐training interviews with 24 employees who participated in a gamification activity. A semi‐structured interview was also conducted with the Internal Training Manager. Participants perceived that gamification activity contributed to the improvement of their competences, particularly creativity, innovation and decision‐making. They reported higher motivation and engagement, as well as a greater readiness to apply gamification methods in their daily tasks. Although they faced challenges, including limited time and resources, participants expressed a strong willingness to continue using gamified practices. This study extends the application of gamification beyond educational contexts and explores its use in a professional environment, addressing a gap in the literature. It presents empirical findings on how gamified training is associated with the development and transfer of soft competences within a public sector organisation. By drawing on Baldwin and Ford's (1988) transfer model in a workplace setting, the study contributes to understanding the conditions under which gamification may support competence development beyond the classroom. The study is limited by its single‐case design and reliance on self‐reported data. Future research should examine similar training initiatives in different organisational contexts. Organisations seeking to enhance employee competences can adopt gamification as a strategic learning tool. Effective implementation requires sufficient time, resources and managerial support. By fostering competences such as creativity, innovation and decision‐making, gamification can contribute to a more adaptive and innovative workforce in an evolving labour market.

Digital entrepreneurship has become a key driver of innovation and economic development in highly digitalized contexts. This study examines the relationship between digital competencies and digital entrepreneurial intention, focusing on the mediating role of technological innovativeness among university students, within the framework of social cognitive theory. A multiple mediation model was tested using a sample of 751 university students in Spain. The results reveal that specific digital competencies positively influence digital entrepreneurial intention, and that individual technological innovativeness plays a key mediating role in the relationship between specific digital competencies and digital entrepreneurial intention. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how digital competencies are linked to digital entrepreneurial intention through individuals’ technological innovativeness. Furthermore, the study offers practical implications for the design of university programs aimed at strengthening students’ digital competencies and technological innovativeness, as well as fostering entrepreneurial intention in digital environments.

Purpose: This study explores the relationship between individual entrepreneurial orientation and digital entrepreneurial intention, focusing on the potential mediating role of digital competencies within the framework of social cognitive theory. Individual entrepreneurial orientation – comprising risk-taking, innovativeness and proactiveness – is examined in connection with students’ digital competencies and their digital entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach: Our sample comprised 751 Spanish university students who completed a questionnaire including questions on entrepreneurial orientation, digital competencies and digital entrepreneurial intention. The Multiple Mediator Model methodology was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings: The results obtained show that risk-taking and innovativeness significantly support digital entrepreneurial intention. Moreover, all dimensions of individual entrepreneurial orientation were positively related to the development of digital competencies, specifically information, communication, content development and problem-solving. Importantly, the analysis confirmed the mediating effect of the digital competencies – specifically information, digital communication and content creation – in the relationship between individual entrepreneurial orientation and digital entrepreneurial intention. Originality/value: This research contributes to the understanding of digital entrepreneurial intention through the integration of individual entrepreneurial orientation and students’ digital competencies, offering ideas for developing specific educational programmes that foster both individual entrepreneurial orientation and students’ digital competencies.

Purpose: The present paper contributes to the development of sustainable strategies by focusing on the social perspective and the role played by HRM. Specifically, we identified and compared the employee competencies that supported the compliance strategy as well as the innovative/proactive sustainability strategies – and their impacts on social outcomes.Design/methodology/approach: After formulating hypotheses, we tested them on a sample of 179 companies from the chemical and metallurgical industries using the bootstrap method.Findings: The results revealed that both sustainability strategies were present in the sample. The compliance sustainable strategy showed to be negatively associated with employee competencies, whilst proactive sustainable strategy firms presented a positive relationship with employee competencies. We also found that compliance strategies failed to have any impact on social outcomes, but proactive strategies had a positive effect on social outcomes. Indeed, normative and foresighted thinking competencies acted as mediating variables in such a relationship.Originality/value: The originality of this paper lies in three aspects hitherto unaddressed in the literature: first, the conceptualisation and assessment of sustainable strategies focused on a social dimension; second, the identification of individual competencies required developing sustainable strategies; and third, the demonstration that it is only the firms that adopt proactive sustainable strategies that obtain positive social outcomes.

The objective of this paper is to perform an in-depth analysis of the literature on the competencies for implementing and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) within organisations. From a bibliometric study using SciMat with articles from the Web of Science database, we identified 421 papers published between 1992 and 2020. This study offers a systematisation of the competencies and skills for AI, highlighting the most prominent, basic, specialised and emerging themes, and providing a performance measure analysis of this field. In addition, major challenges and a research agenda are discussed. The organisational challenge is to achieve a workforce with the necessary digital competencies, and to adapt human resource management practices to AI challenges.