Cover
Volume 7, Issue Speical 7 (2026)

Published: November 5, 2026

Pages: 293-305

Research Article

Digital sustainability strategy and its role in enhancing knowledge work productivity to support poverty recovery: An applied study in the Najaf governorate council

Yousef H. S. Al-Tai 1 Mohammed H. Radhi 2 Zena F. H. Al-Haelegy 3
1Department of Business Administration, College of Management and Economics, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq
2Department of Business Administration, College of Management and Economics, University of Warith al-Anbiyaa, Karbala, Iraq
3College of Administrative Technology, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq
History
  • Received: August 15, 2026
  • Available Online: November 5, 2026
DOI

https://doi.org/10.56967/ejfb20261034

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to examine the role of digital sustainability strategy in enhancing knowledge work productivity and its relationship with supporting poverty recovery in local government institutions, through an applied study conducted at the Najaf Governorate Council. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive-analytical approach with a correlational-explanatory design. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to a simple random sample of 120 employees from a total population of 209 employees. The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 28, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and simple linear regression analysis. Findings: The findings indicate that the level of digital sustainability strategy implementation was moderate, with an overall mean of 3.31. The social dimension recorded the highest mean (3.54), whereas the economic dimension recorded the lowest (3.11). Knowledge work productivity was relatively high, with an overall mean of 3.52. Cognitive complexity recorded the highest mean (3.72), while innovation recorded the lowest (3.36). The results further revealed statistically significant positive correlations between digital sustainability strategy and knowledge work productivity (R = 0.71), digital sustainability strategy and support for poverty recovery (R = 0.81), and knowledge work productivity and support for poverty recovery (R = 0.66), at p < 0.001. Simple linear regression also demonstrated a positive and statistically significant effect of digital sustainability strategy on knowledge work productivity (β = 0.67), explaining 50% of its variance (R² = 0.50). Originality/Value: The study contributes to addressing a research gap by integrating digital sustainability, knowledge work productivity, and support for poverty recovery within the context of local government institutions in Iraq. It provides an empirical basis for directing digital transformation towards improving institutional performance and supporting sustainable local development.

Keywords

References

  1. Almasoodi, M. F., Rahman, S., Basendwah, M., & Sleibi, F. F. (2023). Human resource management challenges in the tourism industry in Iraq. International Journal of Business and Technology Management, 5(4), 424-434.
  2. Der Tambile, E., Ramachandran, V. S., Rajendrakumar, S., Remesh, M., Ramaswamy, J., & Ramesh, M. V. (2024). Rural livelihoods sustainability in South Asia and Africa: a systematic review with bibliometric analysis. Discover Sustainability, 5(1), 410.
  3. Dhiaa Falih Banai, & Mohammed Jabbar Al-Dhalimi. (2019). Authoritarian leadership and its impact on unethical pro-organizational behavior: An analytical study of the opinions of a sample of employees at the Advanced Food Industries Company. Warith Scientific Journal, 1(1), 96-111.
  4. El-Farr, H. K. (2009). Knowledge work and workers: A critical literature review. Leed University Business School, Working Paper Series, 1(1), 1-15.
  5. Grange, C., Demazure, T., Ringeval, M., Bourdeau, S., & Martineau, C. (2026). The Human‐GenAI Value Loop in Human‐Centered Innovation: Beyond the Magical Narrative. Information Systems Journal, 36(1), 29-51.
  6. Guo, Y., Zhou, Y., & Liu, Y. (2022). Targeted poverty alleviation and its practices in rural China: A case study of Fuping county, Hebei Province. Journal of Rural Studies, 93, 430-440.
  7. Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1975). Development of the job diagnostic survey. Journal of Applied psychology, 60(2), 159.
  8. Höllerer, M. A., Shinkle, G. A., George, G., Mair, J., Pan, S. L., Tim, Y., & Collings, D. G. (2026). “Digital Sustainability”: Addressing managerial, organizational, and institutional challenges. Academy of Management Perspectives, 40(2), 241–251.
  9. Kashkool, Hussein. Nidal Al-Maliki, Ghazi Ali, & Ali Al-Tai. (2025). Green Digitalization Technologies and Their Role in Promoting Sustainable Innovation: Technological Strategies Towards an Innovative Environmental Future. Entrepreneurship Journal for Finance and Business, 42-53.
  10. Kashkool, H. M. A. (2024). The role of blockchain marketing algorithms in improving customer interaction for telecommunications companies (Zain and Asiacell Core Digital). Al-Ghari Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences. Source: University of Kufa, 20, 1226-1245.
  11. Khan, M. I., Yasmeen, T., Hadi, N. U., Asif, M., Farooq, M., Kurniawan, T. A., ... & Al-Ghamdi, S. G. (2026). Digital sustainability as an emerging paradigm: Insights from the Saudi Arabian experience and global implications. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 100731.
  12. Kotlarsky, J., Oshri, I., & Sekulic, N. (2023). Digital sustainability in information systems research: Conceptual foundations and future directions. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 24(4), 936-952.
  13. Liu, Q., Wang, M., Wang, Q., & Wei, D. (2025). Mitigating Rural Multidimensional Poverty Through Digital Inclusive Finance: Real Improvement and Psychological Empowerment. Agriculture, 15(9), 954.
  14. Maximilian, T., Hildegard, S., & Fabian, G. (2021). KWReq—A New Instrument for Measuring Knowledge Work Requirements of Higher Education Graduates. Journal for Labour Market Research, 55(1).
  15. Nidal Abdullah Yassin Al-Maliki, Hussein Mohammed Ali Kashkoul, & Mohammed Majeed Jawad Al-Hamdani. (2024). The Golden Behavior of Leadership and its Impact on Customer Satisfaction in the Tourism Sector: An Exploratory Study in Tourist Hotels. Tasnim International Journal for Human, Social and Legal Sciences, 3(1), 122-140.
  16. Popovic, T., Kraslawski, A., & Avramenko, Y. (2013). Applicability of sustainability indicators to wastewater treatment processes. In Computer aided chemical engineering (Vol. 32, pp. 931-936). Elsevier.
  17. Rosati, P., Lynn, T., Kreps, D., & Conboy, K. (2024). Digital Sustainability: Key Definitions and Concepts. In Digital Sustainability: Leveraging Digital Technology to Combat Climate Change (pp. 1-24). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  18. Salah Mahdi Abbas Al-Yassari, Hassi Abdul-Hassan Al-Dharb, & Abdullah Ali Sakr. (2020). The Role of Business Process Reengineering in Enhancing Creative Performance: An Analytical Study of the Opinions of a Sample of Employees of the Oil Products Distribution Company/Karbala Branch. Warith Scientific Journal, 2(1), 235-250.
  19. Surawski, B. (2019). Who is a “knowledge worker”–clarifying the meaning of the term through comparison with synonymous and associated terms. Management, 23(1).
  20. Wut, T. M., Lee, D., Ip, W. M., & Lee, S. W. (2021). Digital sustainability in the organization: Scale development and validation. Sustainability, 13(6), 3530.
  21. Wang, Y., Yu, Y., & Khan, A. (2025). Digital sustainability: Dimension exploration and scale development. Acta Psychologica, 256, 105028.
  22. Young, J. (2012). Personal knowledge capital: the inner and outer path of knowledge creation in a web world. Elsevier.