Entrepreneurial Intention, Digital Leadership, and Willingness to Change in Technology-Based SMEs: A Saudi Vision 2030 Perspective
Keywords:
Entrepreneurial Intention, Technology-Based Enterprises Development, Willingness to Change, Digital Entrepreneurship, Digital LeadershipAbstract
This research examines the relationships among entrepreneurial intention, willingness to change, digital leadership, and digital entrepreneurship in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia, situated within the Saudi Vision 2030 national transformation agenda. A quantitative approach was adopted, involving a survey of 149 managers drawn from a sampling frame of 349 technology-based SMEs in Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was used, with scales adapted from prior research to ensure reliability and validity. Data were analyzed using Stata-SEM to assess the hypothesized relationships among the constructs. The findings reveal that entrepreneurial intention significantly influences technology-based enterprise development (b = 0.333, z = 2.265, p = 0.024), with willingness to change serving as a crucial mediator in this relationship (b = 0.454, z = 4.039, p < 0.001). Additionally, digital leadership (b = 0.437, z = 4.461, p < 0.001) and digital entrepreneurship (b = 0.286, z = 1.958, p = 0.050) were found to significantly moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and enterprise development, with digital leadership exerting the stronger moderating effect. This research contributes to the existing literature on entrepreneurship by providing empirical evidence of the interrelated nature of these constructs in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, while offering practical insights for entrepreneurs, organizational leaders, and Vision 2030 policymakers seeking to foster innovation and adaptability within SMEs.
References
Abbu, H. R., Mugge, P., Gudergan, G. P., & Kwiatkowski, A. (2020). Digital Leadership - Character and Competency Differentiates Digitally Mature Organizations. 2020 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Innovation (ICE/ITMC), 1-9.
Abd Rahim, L. N., Ramlee, N. A. Z., Surin, E. F. M., & Rahim, H. L. (2023). Technology Entrepreneurship Intention among Higher Education Institutions Students: A Literature Review. Information Management and Business Review, 15(3 (SI)), 85-94.
Abidin, A. Z. (2023). The influence of digital leadership and digital collaboration on the digital skill of manufacturing managers in Tangerang. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, 6(1), 10.29099/ijair.v6i1.330
Adhiatma, A., Fachrunnisa, O., & Rahayu, T. (2023). Creating digital ecosystem for small and medium enterprises: the role of dynamic capability, agile leadership and change readiness. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, 14(5), 941-959.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211.
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411-423.
Anoraga, K. S., Kurniawan, D. T., Az-zahra, F. F., & Prameka, A. S. (2023). Can Entrepreneurship Training Moderate the Relationship of Entrepreneurial Managerial Competencies to Digital Entrepreneur Intention in State University of Malang Students?
Anwar, R. S. (2024). Mentoring magic: career calling as a catalyst for tacit knowledge transfer in executive development centers (EDCs). International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 13(4), 472-492.
Anwar, R. S., Hanif, F., Abbas, R., & Gill, H. (2015). Determinants of customer satisfaction and organizational effectiveness. International Interdisciplinary Journal of Scholarly Research (IIJSR), 1(1), 20-42.
Barney, J. B. (2001). Resource-based theories of competitive advantage: A ten-year retrospective on the resource-based view. Journal of management, 27(6), 643-650.
Bhutto, N. A., Shah, S. A. A., & Anwar, R. S. (2024). Beyond service: commercial friendship's impact on trust and student loyalty. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 1-24. doi:10.1080/08841241.2024.2400076
Bilgiseven, E. B. (2024). Transformational and Digital Leadership for Digital Transformation in the Digital Age. In Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management for Complex Work Environments (pp. 56-80). IGI Global.
Chen, A., Li, L., & Shahid, W. (2024). Digital transformation as the driving force for sustainable business performance: A moderated mediation model of market-driven business model innovation and digital leadership capabilities. Heliyon, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29509.
Choi, L. K., Iftitah, N., & Angela, P. (2024). Developing technopreneur skills to face future challenges. IAIC Transactions on Sustainable Digital Innovation (ITSDI), 5(2), 127-135.
Chotipurk, A., Nuchniyom, R., & Lakkhongkha, K. (2023). Preparing and Developing the Capabilities of Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 8(7), 108.
Dana, L.-P., Tajpour, M., Salamzadeh, A., Hosseini, E., & Zolfaghari, M. (2021). The Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on Technology-Based Enterprises Development: The Mediating Role of Motivation. Administrative Sciences, 11(4), 105.
Destrian, O., & Sudarma. (2024). Digital transformation in enterprises: Does leaders' digital literacy matter? International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management, 14(2), 121-145.
Duong, C. D., Nguyen, T. H., Chu, T. V., Pham, T. V., & Do, N. D. (2024). Whether ChatGPT adoption inspires higher education students' digital entrepreneurial intention? International Journal of Innovation Science. 17(5), 1210-1234.
Dutta Gupta, S., & Guha Majumder, M. (2023). Digital transformation, digital entrepreneurship, and economy: A cross-country analysis using moderated mediation modeling technique. In Risks and Resilience of Emerging Economies (pp. 47-70). Springer.
Fachrurazi, F. (2023). The Role Of Leadership And Collaboration In Enhancing The Digital Skills Of Young Entrepreneurs In The Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic. GEMILANG: Jurnal Manajemen dan Akuntansi, 3(2), 15-29.
Faghih, N. (2024). Digital Entrepreneurship: Exploring Alertness, Orientation, and Innovation in the Digital Economy. Springer Nature.
Fahmi, F. Z., & Savira, M. (2023). Digitalization and rural entrepreneurial attitude in Indonesia: a capability approach. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 17(2), 454-478.
Ghauri, P., Fu, X., & Minayora, A. (2022). Digital technology-based entrepreneurial pursuit of the marginalised communities. Journal of International Management, 28(2), 100948.
Hindrawati, G., Dhewanto, W., & Dellyana, D. (2023). Does Innovative Millennial Entrepreneurship have a role in fostering cyber learning on business performance? The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 24(4), 219-232.
Huang, Y., Xu, Y., Zhang, J., Long, Z., Qian, Z., Liu, W., & Chen, L. (2024). Research on factors influencing the academic entrepreneurial ability of teachers in the digital age: Evidence from China. Heliyon, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24152.
Indriastuti, D., & Fachrunnisa, O. (2024). A Conceptual Model to Improve SME's Digital Innovation Capability: The Role of Digital Adoption and Entrepreneurial Orientation. 10.1007/978-3-031-70011-8_29
Jafari-Sadeghi, V., Mahdiraji, H. A., Alam, G. M., & Mazzoleni, A. (2023). Entrepreneurs as strategic transformation managers: Exploring micro-foundations of digital transformation in small and medium internationalisers. Journal of Business Research, 154, 113287.
Khan, M. A. (2022). Universities' Involvement in Promoting Digital Entrepreneurship and Future Digital Entrepreneurship Opportunities through Digital Technologies in Indonesia. Journal of Intercultural Management, 14(4), 39-59.
Khurniawan, A. W., & Irmawaty, D. S. (2024). The impact of digital leadership on digital transformation in university organizations: an analysis of students' views. Education, 67(1), 677-690.
Koivusalo, S. (2023). Digital entrepreneurship: challenges faced by Finnish professional service business owners during venture launch in online business environments. yväskylä University School of Business and Economics. Master’s Thesis.
Lukita, C., Hardini, M., Pranata, S., Julianingsih, D., & Santoso, N. P. L. (2023). Transformation of entrepreneurship and digital technology students in the era of revolution 4.0. Aptisi Transactions on Technopreneurship (ATT), 5(3), 291-304.
Malodia, S., Mishra, M., Fait, M., Papa, A., & Dezi, L. (2023). To digit or to head? Designing digital transformation journey of SMEs among digital self-efficacy and professional leadership. Journal of Business Research, 157, 113547.
Nguyen, P. N.-D., & Nguyen, H. H. (2024). Unveiling the link between digital entrepreneurship education and intention among university students in an emerging economy. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 203, 123330.
Oliveira, S. R. M., & Trento, S. (2023). Technological innovation capability of business incubators and digital entrepreneurship performance in an innovation ecosystem. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 27(3-4), 173-207.
Prameka, A. S., & Kurniawan, D. T. (2023). The Effect of Entrepreneurial Passion and Entrepreneur Managerial Competencies on Digital Entrepreneurial Intention with Entrepreneur Training as Moderation in Generation Z. Proceedings of the BISTIC Business Innovation Sustainability and Technology International Conference (BISTIC 2023). Atlantis Press.
Primario, S., Rippa, P., & Secundo, G. (2022). Rethinking entrepreneurial education: The role of digital technologies to assess entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intention of STEM students. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 71, 2829-2842.
Sabaruddin, S., Astuti, E. S., Arifin, Z., & Iqbal, M. (2024). The Influence of a New Model of IT Leadership on Organizational Change Management and IT-Business Value Delivery in the First Phase of Digital Transformation amid COVID-19. KnE Social Sciences, 409-440.
Sandhi, A. F., Usman, B., & Santosa, W. (2024). The Influence of Corporate Entrepreneurship, Industry 4.0 Adoption, Digital Transformation Capability on Business Performance Mediated by Employee Engagement in the Telecommunication Industry in Indonesia. International Journal of Economics, Business and Management Research, 8(6), 57-74.
Satar, M. S., Alharthi, S., Omeish, F., Alshibani, S. M., & Saqib, N. (2024). Digital Learning Orientation and Entrepreneurial Competencies in Graduates: Is Blended Learning Sustainable? Sustainability, 16(17), 7794.
Sobaih, A. E. E., & Elshaer, I. A. (2022). Personal Traits and Digital Entrepreneurship: A Mediation Model Using SmartPLS Data Analysis. Mathematics, 10(21), 3926.
Soetjipto, B. W., Alanudin, D., Sidik, H. M., & Surbakti, B. (2022). Understanding the effects of digital transformation, entrepreneurial orientation, readiness for change, and innovative behaviour on performance. International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 16(5-6), 709-731.
Steininger, D. M., Kathryn Brohman, M., & Block, J. H. (2022). Digital entrepreneurship: what is new if anything? Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64(1), 1-14.
Troise, C., Ben-Hafaiedh, C., Tani, M., & Yablonsky, S. A. (2022). Guest editorial: New technologies and entrepreneurship: exploring entrepreneurial behavior in the digital transformation era. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 28(5), 1129-1137.
Upadhyay, N., Upadhyay, S., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2022). Theorizing artificial intelligence acceptance and digital entrepreneurship model. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 28(5), 1138-1166.
Ur Rehman, K., Anwar, R. S., Antohi, V. M., Ali, U., Fortea, C., & Laura Zlati, M. (2024). Driving Frugal Innovation in SMEs: How Sustainable Leadership, Knowledge Sources and Information Credibility Make a Difference. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, 1344704.
Xia, Q., Xie, Y., Hu, S., & Song, J. (2024). Exploring how entrepreneurial orientation improve firm resilience in digital era: findings from sequential mediation and FsQCA. European Journal of Innovation Management, 27(1), 96-122.
Yanamandra, R., & Indiran, L. (2023). Handbook of Research on Designing Sustainable Strategies to Develop Entrepreneurial Intention. IGI Global.
Yanez-Valdes, C., & Guerrero, M. (2024). Determinants and impacts of digital entrepreneurship: A pre-and post-COVID-19 perspective. Technovation, 132, 102983.
Yasir, N., Mahmood, N., Mehmood, H. S., Babar, M., Irfan, M., & Liren, A. (2021). Impact of environmental, social values and the consideration of future consequences for the development of a sustainable entrepreneurial intention. Sustainability, 13(5), 2648.
Yopan, M., Kasali, R., Balqiah, T. E., & Pasaribu, M. (2022). The role of digital leadership, customer orientation and business model innovation for IoT companies. International Journal of Business, 27(2), 1-22.
Zhai, Y., Yang, K., Chen, L., Lin, H., Yu, M., & Jin, R. (2023). Digital entrepreneurship: global maps and trends of research. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 38(3), 637-655.
Zulfitri, F., & Sari, F. P. (2024). The Influence of Digital Leadership on the Performance of Millennial Employee through Coaching at Digital Technology-Based Companies of Samsung Research and Development Indonesia (SRIN). Proceedings of the International Conference on Business, Management, Accounting and Sustainable Economy (ICBMASE 2023). Atlantis Press.
