International. Market competitiveness and business management are interconnected aspects that play a fundamental role in the success and sustainability of organizations in a dynamic economic environment.
In the interview conducted by Building Management with Àngels Fitó Bertran, rector of the Open University of Catalonia. Previously, Vice-Rector for Competitiveness and Employability, and economist, the trajectory and management of systems were addressed, as well as the theory used to implement management systems that boost competitiveness in business markets. The importance of considering ethical aspects when talking about competitiveness was highlighted, emphasizing the need to understand the regulatory and fiscal frameworks that can affect ethical decisions and regulations.
For Angels, these new models give way to "a significant shift in the paradigm of business performance, where it is now understood in terms of the ability to return for a broad set of stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, the environment, suppliers and customers." At the same time, he emphasized the growing relevance of sustainable growth and sustainable development, which encompasses corporate social responsibility, employee management, environmental management and good governance practices.
In the field of business administration and management, it was discussed how the concept of sustainable growth is transforming professional profiles and how the new directives on sustainable development are altering the scope of business reporting. The rector highlighted the need to combine financial and non-financial indicators in business management.
On the side of sustainability as a new commitment to strengthen competitiveness, Fito explained that "the company is considered as part of an ecosystem where profit cannot be maximized to the detriment of other actors, such as a change in business practices." In addition, it was noted that consumers are increasingly aware of environmental sustainability and that companies need to integrate respect for others and the environment into their management systems.
Confidence levels, a variable that affects competitiveness and new models
In response to the question about the advice for companies, Angels suggested that "effective management and good practices are key to maintaining high levels of trust, and the idea of productivity and performance declining in flexible environments was questioned."
Additionally, the academic states that "resilient organizations need self-managed work teams, with empowered employees and decentralization in decision-making. It highlights the need to establish new foundations of leadership, based on trust, where teams can self-manage and adapt as needed."
In this regard, the discussion focuses on the importance of establishing a new business contract between management teams and the rest of the employees to build a foundation of trust that supports the agility and resilience of the organization through self-distributed leadership.
How to promote positive leadership and efficiently manage team processes?
For Fito, it is important to "make trust visible through consensus, shared objectives and participatory strategic tools is highlighted as key to achieving transformative levels of leadership. The need to adapt to change is addressed by considering technological opportunities, emphasizing the importance of organizations' dynamic capabilities to observe, integrate, innovate, and learn from their environment in a constantly evolving market."
It also recognizes that technology, especially artificial intelligence, is revolutionizing various institutions, including educational institutions, and that companies must develop internal capabilities to connect with the environment and take advantage of opportunities.
In addition, the impact of technological advances on employment is addressed, pointing out that they mainly displace intermediate jobs and the importance of seeking complementarities with technology instead of competing with it, emphasizing collaboration as key rather than competition.
Regarding the strategy in the field of education, the complexity of addressing the challenge from multiple perspectives is highlighted, considering an ecosystem approach where government, citizens, companies and universities collaborate to promote competitiveness. Fito concludes by emphasizing the crucial role of developing talent through constant training, which has an impact on the employability and competitiveness of organizations.
