Leading the adoption of sustainable practices to enhance competitive performance in family SMEs. A mediation analysis using PLS SEM
Camilo Giraldo-Giraldo et al.
What the paper says
Purpose This study examines how sustainable leadership influences competitive performance in family SMEs, considering the mediating role of sustainable practices through three dimensions, economic, social, and environmental. Design/methodology/approach A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling approach was employed, using data from a sample of 111 family SMEs in the coffee sector in Antioquia, Colombia. Findings The results confirm that sustainable leadership positively affects competitive performance through the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable practices, whereas the social dimension does not show a significant mediating effect. This suggests that sustainable leadership translates more immediately into competitive advantages through economic and environmental practices, while social practices may require longer time horizons or more mature family governance structures. Research limitations/implications This study’s findings should be interpreted considering certain limitations. The research is cross-sectional, which restricts causal inference between sustainable human resource management, sustainable leadership, and competitive performance. The sample is limited to coffee SMEs in a specific Colombian region, which may reduce generalisability to other industries or geographic contexts. Future research should consider longitudinal designs and multi-industry samples, with a particular focus on deepening the social dimension of sustainability. Practical implications The findings guide leaders and managers of rural family SMEs towards the adoption of sustainable strategies that simultaneously generate economic efficiency, environmental innovation, and organisational resilience. Social implications The study highlights the social value of sustainable leadership in promoting long term sustainability and inclusive development within family business ecosystems in emerging regions. Originality/value Theoretically, the study extends understanding of sustainable leadership in emerging economies by integrating the Natural Resource Based View with family business theory, showing how intergenerational values and a long term orientation strengthen organisational sustainability.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.