This research in progress paper investigates the multifaceted factors shaping the work-related attitudes of top managers in organizations with a focus on Germany. Through in-depth interviews with seasoned experts, it reveals crucial work attitudes, examines the impact of interpersonal and procedural factors, and evaluates information’s role in the principal-agent relationship at top management levels. The findings challenge conventional assumptions, providing different perspectives on leadership and highlighting the evolving nature of management practices in the digital age. The study also explores potential differences between top IT managers and other C-level roles, investigating their implications. The results of this research based on expert interviews are used in a broader context of research to triangulate literature analysis findings and quantitative surveys in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing top managers’ work attitudes. Semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to gain a comprehensive perspective on the influencing factors of work attitudes in top management functions. Six German experts participated, bringing diverse backgrounds and affiliations with professional associations. Despite varied perspectives, universal importance was identified in key work attitudes, challenging assumptions of significant differences between employer and employee representatives. A novel contrast between hierarchical and broader perspectives within owner and worker associations emerged, suggesting a need for a more comprehensive understanding of management approaches. Additionally, interpersonal factors in leadership, information flow, trust-building, were highlighted as contributions. Furthermore, distinctions and commonalities between IT management and other top managerial roles were identified. This study both confirms existing knowledge and introduces valuable insights to management science, potentially shaping future research and practices.

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with adopting technologies promoting soil conservation in Brazilian family farming in 2017. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to identify these factors to achieve this aim, with the territorial unit of analysis being the 558 Brazilian microregions delineated by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2017. The adoption of soil conservation technologies by Brazilian family farming represents a multidimensional phenomenon, which is positively influenced by factors within the socioeconomic context (including access to technical assistance services and credit facilities, as well as participation in collective farmer organizations), as well as characteristics of rural properties (such as water availability and the presence of productive machinery and equipment) and the education level of the farmer. It was observed that adopting such technologies has the potential to contribute to an increase in the country’s Gross Production Value (GPV) of family farmers. The primary theoretical contribution of this study lies in validating factors associated with adopting soil conservation technologies within Brazilian family farming and the importance of family farmers’ participation in collective organizations (cooperatives, technical meetings, and seminars) to access technical assistance and credit services. Furthermore, the practical implications suggest the need for specific public policies, including the establishment of cooperatives and the organization of technical meetings and seminars nationwide, the conservation and preservation of springs and water bodies in rural areas, and the provision of dedicated credit lines for the acquisition of machinery and equipment by family farmers.