Transformational Leadership and Organizational Learning for Sustainable Supply Chains: The Moderating Role of <scp>I4.0</scp> Analytics

ABSTRACT Supply chain disruptions, whether climatic or anthropogenic, impose substantial economic and societal costs, making resilience and sustainability imperatives for global industries. Sustainable development demands that industries balance economic growth, social equity, and environmental stewardship simultaneously, yet operationalizing these dimensions within volatile supply chain contexts remains a persistent challenge. Addressing this gap, this study draws on the knowledge‐based view (KBV) and organizational information processing theory (OIPT) to examine how transformational leadership (TL) and organizational learning (OL) shape sustainable economic, social, and environmental performance, and how these in turn affect supply chain well‐being (SCWB). The study collected cross‐sectional data of 293 valid responses through purposive sampling from textile and apparel supply chain professionals who have experience of working on digital analytics tools. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) was employed for analysis using SmartPLS 4.0. The results revealed that transformational leadership has significant positive relationship with sustainable economic, social and environmental business performance, while organizational learning has no impact, a finding attributed to contextual barriers prevalent in Pakistan's textile and apparel sector. Sustainable economic and social performance has a significant influence on supply chain well‐being, while environmental performance has an impact. Similarly, ADSS positively moderated the impact of OL on sustainable environmental performance. The study advances theoretical understanding of how technology, leadership, and learning interact in Industry 4.0 contexts, and offers actionable implications for managers seeking to integrate these levers for durable supply chain sustainability.

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Journal
Sustainable Development
Published
2026-07-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.71457
Primary Topic
Digital Transformation in Industry
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Transformational Leadership and Organizational Learning for Sustainable Supply Chains: The Moderating Role of I4.0 Analytics

Muhammad Hashim, Muhammad Muzummil Sibtain, Iram Bashir, Sajjad Ahmad Baig et al.
Sustainable Development
Digital Transformation in Industry
article

Transformational Leadership and Organizational Learning for Sustainable Supply Chains: The Moderating Role of I4.0 Analytics

Muhammad Hashim, Muhammad Muzummil Sibtain, Iram Bashir, Sajjad Ahmad Baig, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Nazam
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Supply chain disruptions, whether climatic or anthropogenic, impose substantial economic and societal costs, making resilience and sustainability imperatives for global industries. Sustainable development demands that industries balance economic growth, social equity, and environmental stewardship simultaneously, yet operationalizing these dimensions within volatile supply chain contexts remains a persistent challenge. Addressing this gap, this study draws on the knowledge‐based view (KBV) and organizational information processing theory (OIPT) to examine how transformational leadership (TL) and organizational learning (OL) shape sustainable economic, social, and environmental performance, and how these in turn affect supply chain well‐being (SCWB). The study collected cross‐sectional data of 293 valid responses through purposive sampling from textile and apparel supply chain professionals who have experience of working on digital analytics tools. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) was employed for analysis using SmartPLS 4.0. The results revealed that transformational leadership has significant positive relationship with sustainable economic, social and environmental business performance, while organizational learning has no impact, a finding attributed to contextual barriers prevalent in Pakistan's textile and apparel sector. Sustainable economic and social performance has a significant influence on supply chain well‐being, while environmental performance has an impact. Similarly, ADSS positively moderated the impact of OL on sustainable environmental performance. The study advances theoretical understanding of how technology, leadership, and learning interact in Industry 4.0 contexts, and offers actionable implications for managers seeking to integrate these levers for durable supply chain sustainability.

Sustainable Development
Hunan University of Science and Engineering (CN), University of Faisalabad (PK), National Textile University (PK), University of Agriculture Faisalabad (PK)
Higher Education Commission, Pakistan
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Digital Transformation in Industry
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