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Organizations are facing a disrupted environment, which results in a need for managers who can quickly respond to volatile conditions. Such conditions lead to changes in traditional leadership and the construction of new leadership recognized by contemporary literature as digital leadership (DL). The main objective of this research paper is to examine the levels of DL and digital maturity (DM) in small and medium-sized Croatian companies in the context of digital transformation (DT). The research sample included 156 companies, and the results indicated relatively high levels of DL; indeed, nearly four companies achieved the highest level of DM. The results indicated a negative correlation between the level of DL and DM. Gender was shown to have an impact on the level of DL, while it was not indicated that gender has an impact on the level of DM.

The most significant leadership theory, within the frame of contingency and situational approaches, is the path-goal theory. This theory is an extension of Vroom's expectancy theory and defines four styles of leadership: directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented. The theory was first defined in the '70s, and since then, numerous studies have been conducted on leaders and subordinates in different industries and countries. Research during the COVID-19 pandemic is underrepresented, especially in Croatia, and the authors identified a research gap. Primary quantitative research was conducted, and data were collected through the questionnaire developed by Northouse (A Path-Goal Theory Investigation of Superior Subordinate Relationships). The research sample encompassed 77 leaders of organizations in the private and public sectors in the Republic of Croatia, and the researchers analysed self-assessment results about leadership styles before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analysed to obtain insight into the frequency of leadership styles, differences in leadership styles before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of gender, level of education, and organization size on leadership style. The results indicate that self-assessment defines minor changes to leadership style preference before and during the pandemic. The results indicate a difference in leadership styles according to gender; women more frequently choose the supportive style of leadership. Furthermore, it emerges that the level of education and the organization size have an impact on other leadership styles in the frame of the path-goal theory.

O radu nadzornog odbora i uprave u kontinentalnom modelu korporacijskog upravljanja, odnosno upravnom odboru u američkom modelu, ovisi uspješnost poslovanja poduzeća. Stoga je sastav takvih odbora ključan te se na tu temu provode istraživanja s ciljem utvrđivanja optimalnog sastava. Spolna raznolikost spomenutih odbora u zadnje vrijeme dobiva sve veći značaj, ne samo zbog istraživanja kojima se dokazuje da je članstvo žena u takvim odborima pozitivno za uspješnost poslovanja poduzeća, već i zbog zakonskih zahtjeva, kojima se želi postaviti minimalna granica uz broj žena u takvim odborima. U ovom radu analizira se zastupljenost žena na upravljačkim pozicijama u hrvatskim poduzećima te istražuje utjecaj spolne raznolikosti u upravama i nadzornim odborima na uspješnost poslovanja poduzeća. Provedeno je istraživanje na uzorku od 400 najvećih hrvatskih poduzeća. Rezultati pokazuju mali postotak žena u upravama i nadzornim odborima hrvatskih poduzeća te kako se ne može sa sigurnošću tvrditi da spolna raznolikost u upravama i nadzornim odborima doprinosi uspješnosti poduzeća. Ipak, vidi se utjecaj spolne raznolikosti u nadzornim odborima na uspješnost poduzeća, što bi moglo biti predmet daljnjih istraživanja.

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