NOLEGEIN- Journal of Leadership & Strategic Management

AI-Enabled Leadership Development and Strategic Organizational Analysis in Higher Education: Emerging HRM and Organizational Behavior Practices for 2026–2027

Amena Muhammed Ali — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The higher education sector is entering a transformative era, shaped by digital innovation, hybrid and remote learning modalities, and evolving expectations from students, faculty, and administrative staff. Leadership development, strategic planning, and organizational behavior practices in universities and academic institutions are increasingly challenged to respond to rapid technological, social, and demographic changes. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance human resource management (HRM), organizational analysis, and leadership effectiveness. Cognitive AI enables predictive analytics to anticipate faculty turnover, student engagement patterns, and resource allocation needs, thereby supporting evidence-based strategic decision-making. Generative AI facilitates scenario-based simulations for leadership development, curriculum planning, and institutional strategy formulation, allowing academic leaders to experiment with innovative approaches in a risk-free digital environment. Sentient AI provides adaptive, real-time insights into faculty performance, student satisfaction, and organizational climate, enabling leaders to respond proactively to emerging challenges and cultivate high-performing academic teams. Explainable AI (XAI) further ensures transparency and accountability in decision-making, building trust among faculty, students, and stakeholders while reducing potential biases inherent in automated systems. This study examines how the integration of these AI modalities can transform HRM and organizational behavior in higher education, fostering data-driven leadership, strategic agility, and employee-centric practices. By empirically exploring AI adoption across universities and academic institutions, this research aims to identify the benefits, challenges, and best practices for implementing AI in academic HRM, organizational analysis, and leadership development. The study also addresses ethical considerations, privacy concerns, and the readiness of educational institutions to embrace AI-driven transformation. Ultimately, the research provides a roadmap for 2026–2027 and beyond, offering actionable insights for academic leaders, HR professionals, and policymakers seeking to leverage AI for sustainable organizational growth, improved leadership effectiveness, and enhanced student and faculty engagement in the next generation of higher education institutions.

Impact of Toxic Leadership in the 21st Century on Employees’ Intentions to Leave, with Workplace Bullying as a Mediating Factor

Amaresh Satapathy, Pramod Ranjan Panda, Swapnamayee Sahoo — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how bullying at work affects workers’ desire to quit their existing positions and how toxic leadership exacerbates this effect. Abusive attitudes, unethical actions, and the development of unpleasant work conditions that compromise employee well-being are traits of toxic leaders. In addition to undermining morale and trust, such leadership creates an environment that encourages bullying, which exacerbates the detrimental effects on workers. The study specifically looks at how workplace bullying shapes the relationship between toxic leadership and employees’ inclination to resign by acting as a moderating mechanism. Using a quantitative approach, information was gathered from respondents in a variety of industries using standardized questionnaires, guaranteeing a wide range of organizational situations. The results show a strong link between employees’ intentions to leave their jobs and toxic leadership, with workplace bullying playing a crucial role in enhancing this relationship. Workers who experienced both bullying and toxic leadership expressed greater levels of discontent and disengagement and a greater desire to quit their companies. These findings emphasize how critical it is for businesses to identify and deal with the twin problems of toxic leadership and workplace bullying. Failing to do so puts the organization at risk for worse production, innovation, and general health in addition to higher turnover. To lessen these negative consequences, the study emphasizes the significance of putting in place efficient leadership development programs, anti-bullying regulations, and encouraging workplace environments. In the end, maintaining talent and guaranteeing long-term organizational success depend on creating an inclusive and respected workplace.

Purpose-Driven Startups: A Holistic Leadership Framework for Building Resilient and Scalable Ventures

Tuhin Mukharjee, Mayank Kumar Dwivedi — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Leadership in the twenty-first century is increasingly challenged by rapid technological disruption, systemic uncertainty, and expanding stakeholder expectations, making traditional hierarchical approaches less effective. The NAVIGATOR™ Model for Leadership & Strategy offers a comprehensive, future-ready framework designed to address these complexities by redefining leadership as a continuous journey of purpose, adaptation, ethical judgment, and value creation. Rooted in systems thinking and a purpose-driven philosophy, the model emphasizes the integration of inner clarity and outer competence, enabling leaders to navigate volatility while harmonizing people, performance, and principles. Structured around eight interrelated pillars—Navigate Purpose, Adapt to Change, Value People, Integrate Design, Grow Ecosystems, Act with Ethics, Transform Boldly, and Optimize Results—the model provides both strategic guidance and practical discipline. By fostering alignment between individual and organizational objectives, the NAVIGATOR™ Model equips leaders to make informed decisions in uncertain environments, drive responsible organizational transformation, and create sustained long-term impact. Applicable across corporates, public institutions, and startups, the model serves as a versatile leadership compass, helping decision-makers act with clarity, cultivate ethical practices, and enhance organizational resilience. This study underscores the model’s potential to prepare leaders for the dynamic demands of the modern era while promoting sustainable, value-driven outcomes for all stakeholders.

Indian Knowledge System and Management in India: An Integrative Perspective

Bindiya S. Soni — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) denotes an indigenous and integrative body of knowledge shaped through centuries of intellectual inquiry and social practice within the Indian subcontinent. Emerging from a wide spectrum of classical philosophical, administrative, and literary traditions – including early Vedic thought, Upanishadic reflections, treatises on statecraft such as the Arthashastra, and major civilizational narratives like the Mahabharata and Ramayana – IKS embodies a comprehensive approach to understanding human life and organization. It encompasses interconnected domains such as ethics, scientific reasoning, healthcare traditions, educational models, systems of governance, and managerial principles, all unified by a normative and value-oriented worldview. In recent years, there has been renewed academic and policy interest in integrating IKS with modern management theories to develop indigenous, ethical, and sustainable management models. This research paper examines the conceptual foundations of IKS, analyzes traditional Indian management principles, and evaluates their relevance to contemporary management practices in India. Using a qualitative and conceptual research approach, the paper highlights how concepts such as Dharma, Karma, Yoga, and Lokasangraha inform leadership, decision-making, human resource management, and organizational governance. The study concludes that Indian Knowledge System offers valuable insights for creating inclusive, ethical, and sustainable management practices suited to India’s socio-cultural context while also contributing to global management thought.

Standardizing Public Infrastructure Procurement: A Best Practice Trajectory for Nigerian Quantity Surveyors

Alolote I. Amadi — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The current global drive in public procurement is aimed at improving efficiency, cost- effectiveness, and the overall value delivered by procurement processes This paper spotlights and raises discussions on the interesting opportunities for Nigerian Quantity Surveyors to harness the benefits of procurement best practices such as of Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Sustainable Procurement, as is the case with most public procurement entities in other countries. Adopting best practices such as Sustainability and Life Cycle Costing in public procurement will ensure best value for money that deliver long-term benefits. This paper x-rays how Quantity surveyors can play front-line roles in the drive to standardize Nigeria’s public procurement, via the advocacy for the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to exercise more stringent regulatory powers, mandating public procurement entities to effectively integrate relevant best practices that are changing the procurement paradigm globally. The study submits that irrespective of the BPPs effort to include sustainability in public procurement guidelines, no specific detailing on sustainable procurement is outlined in the guidelines, given the significant global dimensions of the issue. The directives on sustainable procurement are limited to the drafting of technical specifications, without explicitly highlighting the sustainable procurement functions at the execution phase, where the professional roles becomes even more hands-on. This clear shortcoming should be rectified in future updates of the BPP guidelines to ensure that all parties are held responsible and that the sustainability objectives of the project remain fully protected and uncompromised. Furthermore, Nigeria’s Public Procurement regulations should consistently promote LCC approach, and set out a robust methodological framework for taking life-cycle costs into account in the various stages of public procurement process. There is thus room for redefining the BPP guidelines, with respect to the application of LCC principles, necessary to support the building of long term collaborative relationships between procurement entities and the supply chain, in tandem with emerging global best practices.