Papers by Dimos Chatzinikolaou
Strategy & Leadership, 2026
Purpose
This integrative review synthesizes research on adaptive, agile, complexity and ambidextr... more Purpose
This integrative review synthesizes research on adaptive, agile, complexity and ambidextrous leadership and innovation under VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) to clarify how leaders orchestrate context-sensitive (“contingent”) innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020, we searched Scopus (December 29, 2025), screened 85 records and synthesized 34 journal articles (2015–2025). We appraised evidence [Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT)-informed for empirical papers; conceptual-rigor checklist for conceptual papers] and analyzed it using a concept-centric coding matrix.
Findings
Four themes recur: (1) leadership as sensemaking/framing and enabling experimentation; (2) innovation as exploration–exploitation balancing (ambidexterity), often expressed at the level of an evolving innovation initiative portfolio; (3) psychological safety, trust, organizational support and self-efficacy as mechanisms for innovative work behavior; and (4) dynamic capabilities that transform experiments into reconfiguration. We develop a four-proposition framework that integrates these themes by specifying mediation pathways and boundary conditions (portfolio governance routines and coordination overload).
Research limitations/implications
Theory-building synthesis; propositions require empirical testing.
Practical implications
The framework serves as a diagnostic and action tool and provides scenario-based leadership routines for balancing experimentation with disciplined alignment.
Originality/value
We define contingent innovation capability as an organizational orchestration capability–comprising sensing, portfolio governance and integration/reconfiguration routines–and explain how adaptive leadership behaviors develop and activate it to couple safe-to-fail experimentation with disciplined integration as contingencies shift.
This integrative review synthesizes research on adaptive, agile, complexity and ambidextrous leadership and innovation under VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) to clarify how leaders orchestrate context-sensitive (“contingent”) innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020, we searched Scopus (December 29, 2025), screened 85 records and synthesized 34 journal articles (2015–2025). We appraised evidence [Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT)-informed for empirical papers; conceptual-rigor checklist for conceptual papers] and analyzed it using a concept-centric coding matrix.
Findings
Four themes recur: (1) leadership as sensemaking/framing and enabling experimentation; (2) innovation as exploration–exploitation balancing (ambidexterity), often expressed at the level of an evolving innovation initiative portfolio; (3) psychological safety, trust, organizational support and self-efficacy as mechanisms for innovative work behavior; and (4) dynamic capabilities that transform experiments into reconfiguration. We develop a four-proposition framework that integrates these themes by specifying mediation pathways and boundary conditions (portfolio governance routines and coordination overload).
Research limitations/implications
Theory-building synthesis; propositions require empirical testing.
Practical implications
The framework serves as a diagnostic and action tool and provides scenario-based leadership routines for balancing experimentation with disciplined alignment.
Originality/value
We define contingent innovation capability as an organizational orchestration capability–comprising sensing, portfolio governance and integration/reconfiguration routines–and explain how adaptive leadership behaviors develop and activate it to couple safe-to-fail experimentation with disciplined integration as contingencies shift.
Systems, 2025
Business Economics lacks coherent theoretical foundations despite its prominence in business educ... more Business Economics lacks coherent theoretical foundations despite its prominence in business education. This paper critiques conventional equilibrium-based curricula that begin with ceteris paribus assumptions, proposing instead a systems-based evolutionary framework integrating macro-meso-micro perspectives. Through conceptual analysis, we demonstrate how traditional approaches fail to capture dynamic business realities. Our evolutionary framework incorporates seven pillars: variation-selection-retention dynamics, multi-level integration, dynamic capabilities, institutional networks, complexity theory, organizational form evolution, and behavioral insights. The paper provides curriculum guidelines (12-week structure) that maintain economic literacy while teaching students to reason through feedback loops, uncertainty, and systemic change. This repositioning represents the need for a paradigm shift from static optimization toward understanding businesses as adaptive systems, better preparing students for navigating continuous change in complex environments.
Sustainability, 2025
This integrative review examines the persistent analytical divide in economics by advancing the m... more This integrative review examines the persistent analytical divide in economics by advancing the macro-meso-micro framework as a comprehensive approach for understanding complex socioeconomic ecosystems and sustainability transitions. Drawing on empirical evidence from European energy systems, particularly Greece and the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, we demonstrate that conventional economic analysis has systematically overlooked the crucial meso-level where evolutionary processes are most visible and transformative. This conceptual "myopia" has led to fragmented policy interventions that work at cross-purposes across different analytical levels. By reconceptualizing economic systems as evolving rule populations operating simultaneously at three distinct but interconnected levels, this view offers diagnostic potential for effective adaptation to sustainability transitions. The framework's greatest contribution lies in its theoretical thoroughness and, most importantly, in its practical capacity to generate more coherent interventions that harness evolutionary dynamics.
Economic Alternatives, 2025
This paper examines the theoretical roots and methodological underpinnings of evolutionary econom... more This paper examines the theoretical roots and methodological underpinnings of evolutionary economics, proposing a direction to enrich its research methodology. It contends that the field’s core is built on a tripartite analysis of innovation dynamics, biological interpretations, and institutional transformations. By integrating this dialectical perspective with the macro-meso-micro framework and critical realism, a solid methodological foundation can be established for more comprehensive investigations in evolutionary economics research. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for practical application within the field, highlighting the importance of operationalizing these aspects to improve the analytical and interpretive capabilities of existing pertinent methodologies.
Frontiers in Political Science, 2025
This paper examines how the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) influences global ... more This paper examines how the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) influences global energy transition within an emerging multipolar world order. Using the New Globalization Scenario Matrix (NGSM) framework and correlative SWOT analysis, the study identifies a "medium-high performance" scenario as most probable, characterized by gradual regional integration constrained by geopolitical tensions and governance gaps. The analysis reveals asymmetric energy transition contributions: strong support for renewable energy deployment through trade and investment channels, but limited coordination for decarbonization policies due to absent binding environmental commitments. The study proposes complementary institutional frameworks to enhance the RCEP's energy transition contributions while addressing identified governance deficits in environmental coordination.
Societies, 2025
This study examines how strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices in pharmaceutical mu... more This study examines how strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices in pharmaceutical multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in Greece are influenced by digital innovation and social dialogue. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 82 participants across seven large pharmaceutical MNEs in Greece, using purposive and stratified sampling to capture perspectives from senior managers, middle managers, and specialized employees. Findings indicate that while digital tools are present in SHRM systems, their integration remains functional rather than strategic. Social dialogue mechanisms exist but exert limited influence on decision-making. The study proposes that SHRM models-economies like Greece (characterized by medium-level competitiveness performance)-must be recontextualized to account for organizational learning capacities, and the strategic alignment between innovation, management, and social dialogue. We suggest that MNEs in the pharmaceutical sector should invest in integrated SHRM systems that prioritize cross-functional collaboration, localized adaptability, and participatory governance.
From Business Ecosystems to Firm Physiology: The Strategy– Technology– Management Evolutionary Synthesis
The Journal of Entrepreneurship, 2025
This research explores the integration of biological typologies into evolutionary economics, emph... more This research explores the integration of biological typologies into evolutionary economics, emphasising the ‘physiology’ of firms within business ecosystems. Using the Strategy–Technology–Management (Stra.Tech.Man) framework, firms are categorised as ‘living entities’ with distinct physiological traits in strategy, technology and management—as independent analytical organic spheres. Although the application of evolutionary thinking to socio-economic sciences is not unprecedented, this study offers a novel approach that emphasises evolutionary micro-foundations. The intention is to advance the discourse in evolutionary microeconomic theory concerning firms, veering away from the conventional neoclassical model and placing importance on the inherent dynamism of business operations. These findings provide contemporary organisational science with enriched analytical aspects, highlighting the adaptive nature of firms within the larger ecosystem. This physiological lens also offers a concrete and evolutionary micro-level theoretical mechanism that explains why identical ecosystem-level policies often generate heterogeneous firm-level outcomes.
Frontiers in Political Science, 2025
This integrative review examines the evolving landscape of globalization, aiming to understand th... more This integrative review examines the evolving landscape of globalization, aiming to understand the possible paths of the emerging global order. In a world marked by historical shifts, the research identifies three main paths: New Nation-Centric Fragmentation, New Multipolarity, and New Realistic and Innovative Global Liberalism. The last path looks most promising yet, regrettably, that prospect is fading as a driving force in today's landscape-despite its promise of solid geopolitical stability, brisk economic growth, and vigorous technological progress. Recent global shifts, however, make such an outcome look increasingly remote.
Smart Cities, 2025
I conducted an integrative literature review by utilizing theoretical and methodological elements... more I conducted an integrative literature review by utilizing theoretical and methodological elements of critical realism (i.e., the distinction between ontology and epistemology) to evaluate the significance of triple-helix intermediaries. This review involved examining all published research on smart cities in “elite” ABS (Chartered Association of Business Schools) journals (4, 4*). My findings indicate that the philosophical foundations of the examined literature are predominantly grounded on “positivism”, “postmodernism”, “interpretivism”, and “pragmatism”, without delving into the ontological reinforcement of capitalist institutions through innovation creation and diffusion—a central concern of critical realism. I argue that this oversight stems from the prevailing “paradigm” within these “elite” journals, which often excludes historical and critical perspectives. In response, I propose a reoriented intermediary, the Triple-Helix Business Clinic, grounded in critical-realist assumptions. This new theoretical framework can guide practical policy development aimed at reinforcing business innovation and driving broader socioeconomic progress.
Energies, 2025
This study aims to analyze the shifting focus and emerging themes in contemporary energy entrepre... more This study aims to analyze the shifting focus and emerging themes in contemporary energy entrepreneurship research, alongside the challenges and opportunities faced by select energy entrepreneurs in a rapidly transforming global landscape that is driven by sustainability imperatives, resilience, and systemic energy transitions. Employing a semi-systematic and critical literature review, 238 relevant scientific articles from the Web of Science database were identified and analyzed. We then conducted focused case studies of energy entrepreneurs in a less-developed regional ecosystem. The findings reveal two distinct "generations" of energy entrepreneurship research, marked by a clear shift towards sustainability themes, innovative energy business models, and corporate responsibility. Additionally, we introduce the "Energy Innovation Scorecard" (EN.I.SCORE) framework-a comprehensive macro-meso-micro guideline designed to support energy entrepreneurs. Applying this framework to a sample of 89 surveyed and 8 interviewed firms reveals that, especially among microfirms, there is weak integration of strategy-technology-management, limited energy innovation, and poor financial performance prevail-challenges typical of underdeveloped ecosystems. By examining the origins, evolution, and holistic transformation of energy entrepreneurship, and by investigating the selected regional case, this research potentially helps bridge critical gaps in understanding the dynamics of this field.
Sustainability, 2025
This study integrates Sustainable Energy Development (SED) with an Energy Ecosystems (EE) framewo... more This study integrates Sustainable Energy Development (SED) with an Energy Ecosystems (EE) framework in Greece to reveal how macrolevel policies, mesolevel infrastructures, and microlevel behaviors shape energy transitions. Drawing on historical data primarily spanning 2010-2024, supplemented by 16 semi-structured expert interviews and a macro-meso-micro analytical approach, it examines SED dimensions-affordability, supply, consumption, and security-within the supplier-producer-distributor-consumer nexus. The findings show notable progress in solar and wind adoption but also underscore persistent challenges such as high import dependency, regulatory inefficiencies, and infrastructural gaps. By proposing targeted policy directions and suggesting a new modus operandi of local-level institutional coordination, the research illustrates how an SED-EE synergy can foster resilience, innovation, and social equity, thereby informing sustainable energy strategies not just for Greece but also for other regions facing similar structural hurdles. The novel integrative perspective of this paper, unlike prior approaches that address either macropolicy targets or microlevel entrepreneurial activity alone, clarifies how mesolevel dynamics facilitate or hamper SED goals. This theoretical and practical synthesis is expected to inform the design of more resilient, equitable, and innovation-driven energy policies.
Energies, 2025
This study examines the differences between the emerging new energy policy and its predecessor, o... more This study examines the differences between the emerging new energy policy and its predecessor, offering guidelines for an integrated approach to support a rapid and sustainable energy transition. Using a bibliometric and qualitative integrative analysis of 360 scientific articles on energy policy, ecosystems, and entrepreneurship—supplemented by insights from 16 experts in the European energy sector and an in-depth analysis of 89 relevant business cases—this research identifies a significant shift in priorities. Traditional concerns, such as energy security, self-sufficiency, and market liberalization, are increasingly giving way to a focus on rapid, sustainable energy transitions and development at the macrolevel. The findings reveal that contemporary energy policies are progressively prioritizing integrated strategies across the macrolevel, mesolevel, and microlevel. At the macrolevel, policies are increasingly focused on enabling efficient transitions and promoting sustainable development within an ecosystemic framework. At the mesolevel, there is a growing emphasis on strengthening regional energy ecosystems. At the microlevel, the focus increasingly shifts toward empowering energy firms through innovative organizational strategies, technological advancements, and enhanced managerial practices. The proposed integrated energy policy aims to address these broader goals while fostering diverse energy ecosystems and communities at the mesolevel. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of empowering individual energy firms by enhancing their strategies, technological capabilities, and managerial skills. These improvements are essential for driving innovation, developing green business models, strengthening corporate social responsibility, and aligning with the principles of Resilience, Adaptability, Sustainability, and Inclusiveness (RASI).
International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2025
The “ecosystem perspective” seems to be gaining importance in energy research. This paper offers ... more The “ecosystem perspective” seems to be gaining importance in energy research. This paper offers a systematic review of 98 articles to shed light on the burgeoning interest in the “energy ecosystems” perspective. The growth in energy ecosystems research stems from several factors: the integration of approaches that connect energy flows with ecological concepts, the inclusion of emerging technologies and socio-technical nuances, and a significant uptick in academic publications over recent years. Our review identifies four pivotal trends shaping the energy ecosystems discourse: “industrial ecology and sustainable development,” “energy transition and socioeconomic evolution,” “business and innovation ecosystems in energy,” “distributed energy systems, smart grid innovations, and associated policy-regulation dynamics.” These trends underscore a pronounced emphasis on energy efficiency in the pertinent literature. Looking ahead, there’s a case for adopting a comprehensive macro-meso-micro framework, with a particular spotlight on the intricate roles of individual energy firms within these ecosystems.
Sustainability, 2024
This paper explores the intricate relationships among the evolution of the international politica... more This paper explores the intricate relationships among the evolution of the international political economy, the dynamics of business ecosystems, and the transformations in entrepreneurship within the European energy sector, with a specific emphasis on Greece, particularly the less developed region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The aim is to understand how geopolitical, economic, and technological dynamics interact across macro-, meso-, and microlevels, especially within the context of the ongoing global energy transition. A multi-method approach is employed, including interviews with 16 experts, a survey of 89 energy firms, and eight in-depth interviews with microfirm owners. A key finding is that an integrated and evolutionary macro–meso–micro framework is essential for understanding and addressing the complex dynamics across various sectors, especially in the energy sector. The study highlights the need for targeted support for smaller firms through a restructured energy policy to foster local entrepreneurship and innovation. It further emphasizes that understanding the evolution of the global energy system and its components is crucial for addressing sustainability in environmental and socioeconomic terms, as the emerging model of energy production and consumption is directly tied to the reshaping of socioeconomic development models in the new globalization.
Societies, 2024
This paper explores the combined impacts of certain geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts on the gl... more This paper explores the combined impacts of certain geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts on the global energy transition, focusing on developments related to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreements. The New Globalization Scenario Matrix (NGSM) and a correlative SWOT analysis in transnational terms are utilized to understand and conceptualize potential future global trends in the emerging new globalization. Findings suggest that the examined contemporary global events may enhance the overall performance of the global system, thereby accelerating energy transitions. Consequently, a re-envisioned approach to the International Political Economy (IPE) of energy is proposed, blending repositioned realism and liberalism to foster a realistic and innovative new global liberalism.
Growth Poles
Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2024
Growth poles remain a central idea in regional analysis, emphasizing how a leading industry in a ... more Growth poles remain a central idea in regional analysis, emphasizing how a leading industry in a region can generate either positive or negative spillover effects that shape the entire socioeconomic fabric. While the growth poles theory offers a structured approach to spatial development, its comparative evaluation with other spatial theories (such as clusters and business ecosystems) reveals nuances that influence regional growth differently. This approach typically views the socioeconomic system in regional terms, with a preference for top-down planning, aiming to reduce disparities between regions. One of its pivotal analytical strengths is its recognition of the structural importance of industrial concentration, which can elevate developmental outcomes on both national and international scales.
Journal of the Knowledge Economy , Jun 19, 2024
This study explores the challenges of integrating macro, meso, and micro in the articulation of a... more This study explores the challenges of integrating macro, meso, and micro in the articulation of advanced innovation policy and examines, respectively, dimensions of public business support, intermediary organizations, and knowledge transfer. It conducts an integrative review of the pertinent literature and a bibliometric analysis of 440 articles. It reveals three major obstacles that seemingly impede the effective integration of macro, meso, and micro in contemporary policymaking and socioeconomic analyses: entrenched boundaries between different thematic areas, methodological discrepancies, and the relative lack of integrated theoretical models. These factors contribute to the absence of unified functional hubs focused on microlevel interventions. The proposed Institutes of Local Development and Innovation (ILDIs) could mitigate these challenges as they are presented as multilevel policy instruments intended to provide support to businesses-particularly to those facing chronic and structural problems.
Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 2024
Achieving green and sustainable development is a fundamental characteristic of the emerging new g... more Achieving green and sustainable development is a fundamental characteristic of the emerging new globalisation, evident at the organisational and broader socioeconomic levels. This conceptual research explores how the recent literature approaches the dimensions and methodologies of green organisations, introducing a mechanism for advising and reinforcing their green physiology in Stra.Tech.Man terms (strategy-technology-management synthesis). The Green Stra.Tech.Man Scorecard is an action research diagnostic tool for all organisational sizes, regardless of industry, ownership type, or location, integrating fundamental green organisational dimensions.
The emergence of the new globalization: the approach of the evolutionary structural triptych
Journal of Global Responsibility, 2024
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalizati... more Purpose
This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalization, with the 2008 global financial crisis serving as the first symptom of this change. By introducing the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST), this research seeks to understand the basic components of the new evolutionary trajectory of global capitalism post-2008. The study places emphasis on its interdependent and coevolving economic, political and technological dynamic facets.
Design/methodology/approach
This research introduces the EST framework, critically contrasting it with conventional understandings in international political economy (IPE) to provide a comprehensive and structured analysis of global developments after 2008. It traces the phases of global capitalism since Second World War, examines the central dynamic dimensions during each evolutionary phase, identifies the basic patterns and delves into the foundational elements of the emerging era of globalization.
Findings
The analysis reveals three key findings. First, the emerging restructured globalization indicates a need for a new balance in the contemporary world system; however, this balance cannot be achieved within the architecture of the old system. Second, the new era of globalization necessitates a re-equilibrated approach across different dimensions of geopolitical stability, economic development and innovation. This approach should emphasize sustainability, adaptability, resilience and inclusivity and lean toward responsible, open and organic innovation models for a revamped global structure. Third, while many current IPE theories tend to compartmentalize aspects of the new globalization, the EST advocates for a holistic perspective that integrates politics, economics and technology within the framework of global trends. This perspective bridges existing gaps and offers actionable insights for a dynamic and inclusive global future.
Originality/value
The paper presents the EST as a novel analytical instrument in the realm of the modern IPE. This tool uniquely places technology and innovation at the forefront, parallel to economic and political spheres, to comprehend the progression of globalization. In doing so, it highlights the intertwined relationship of these structural dimensions in shaping the future of the subject of the IPE.
This study aims to analyze the emergence of a new structural configuration of globalization, with the 2008 global financial crisis serving as the first symptom of this change. By introducing the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST), this research seeks to understand the basic components of the new evolutionary trajectory of global capitalism post-2008. The study places emphasis on its interdependent and coevolving economic, political and technological dynamic facets.
Design/methodology/approach
This research introduces the EST framework, critically contrasting it with conventional understandings in international political economy (IPE) to provide a comprehensive and structured analysis of global developments after 2008. It traces the phases of global capitalism since Second World War, examines the central dynamic dimensions during each evolutionary phase, identifies the basic patterns and delves into the foundational elements of the emerging era of globalization.
Findings
The analysis reveals three key findings. First, the emerging restructured globalization indicates a need for a new balance in the contemporary world system; however, this balance cannot be achieved within the architecture of the old system. Second, the new era of globalization necessitates a re-equilibrated approach across different dimensions of geopolitical stability, economic development and innovation. This approach should emphasize sustainability, adaptability, resilience and inclusivity and lean toward responsible, open and organic innovation models for a revamped global structure. Third, while many current IPE theories tend to compartmentalize aspects of the new globalization, the EST advocates for a holistic perspective that integrates politics, economics and technology within the framework of global trends. This perspective bridges existing gaps and offers actionable insights for a dynamic and inclusive global future.
Originality/value
The paper presents the EST as a novel analytical instrument in the realm of the modern IPE. This tool uniquely places technology and innovation at the forefront, parallel to economic and political spheres, to comprehend the progression of globalization. In doing so, it highlights the intertwined relationship of these structural dimensions in shaping the future of the subject of the IPE.
Russo-Ukrainian War and the emerging new globalization: a critical review of relevant research
The Japanese Political Economy, 2024
The emerging new global socioeconomic system is marked by a complex tapestry of multifaceted chal... more The emerging new global socioeconomic system is marked by a complex tapestry of multifaceted challenges, significantly reshaping the past global architecture. In the context of international political economy, the current era might be more accurately described as “new globalization.” This field has recently begun to integrate the effects of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which erupted in February 2022, into its analytical framework. This military showdown exemplifies the complex and interrelated political, economic, and technological challenges inherent in the emerging new globalization. This paper delves into the potential ramifications of the Russo-Ukrainian War on the unfolding trajectory of new globalization, utilizing the analytical approach of the “Evolutionary Structural Triptych” (EST). This critical review of pertinent literature suggests that the war may increase the likelihood of diminished returns during the current phase of the emerging new globalization.