BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION AND GROWTH ENABLED BY A GUARDIN ECOSYSTEM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70301/Keywords:
growth, guardianship, leadership, performance, culture, synchronization, ecosystemAbstract
This paper addresses the complex problem of business growth through a case study of the NMDC Group, based in the UAE. Employing an eclectic methodology combining case study, design thinking, and mixed methods, the study investigates employee engagement data from 2019 to 2023, with a focus on the post-merger year of 2022. The data is further examined within a performance management and culture change framework, aligning employee goals with company objectives for growth. A Guardian Growth and Enterprise (2GE) conceptual model is presented as a prototype for operational excellence, emphasizing the Guardian ethic of people care in synchronizing strategic, performance, and cultural processes. The study concludes by presenting the 5P Guardian Ecosystem Model as a holistic solution for sustainable growth, asserting that business growth is an outcome of people's growth, mediated by synchronized performance and cultural systems.
References
Achtenhagen, L., Ekberg, S. & Melander, A. (2017). Fostering growth through business development: Core activities and challenges for micro-firm entrepreneurs. Journal of Management & Organization, 23(2), 167-185. DOI: 10.1017/jmo.2016.58.
Agboola, M. B. (2021) Effective leadership habits: A concise guide from an Islamic perspective. Bashir Agboola Second Edition
Allen, J., and Zook, C. (2001) Profit from the core. Harvard School Press
Bakker, A.B., Hakanen, J.J., Demerouti, E. and Xanthopoulou, D. (2007) Job resources boost work engagement, particularly when job demands are high. Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol 99. pp274–84
Bezos (2021) Invent and wander: The collected writings of Jeff Bezos. Harvard Business Review Press
Blake, R., and McCanse, A. (1991) Leadership dilemmas-grid solutions: A visionary new look at a classic tool for defining and attaining leadership and management excellence. Gulf Publishing Company
Blake, R., and Mouton, J. (1985) The managerial grid 111: The key to leadership excellence. Gulf Publishing Company
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979) The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Buchanan J. M. (2017) Designing for wicked problems: A new approach for social innovation. Bloomsbury Academic Press
Burt, R. (2004) Brokerage and closure: An introduction to social capital. Oxford University Press
Bush, M. (2018) A great place to work for all. Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Cameron, R. (2011). The five Ps of mixed methods research. Paper presented at the 10th European Conference for Research Methods, France, June 20-21, 2011
Capra, F. (1982) The turning point: Science, society and the rising culture. Fontana.
Capra, F. (1991) The tao of physics: An exploration of the parallels between modern physics and eastern mysticism. HarperCollins Publishers
Carney, M. (2021) Value(s): Building a better world for all. William Collins Publishing
Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2015). Research methods, design, and analysis, Global Edition. Pearson Education.
Christiansen, C., and Raynor, M. (2003) The innovator’s solution: Creating and sustaining successful growth. Harvard Business Review Press
Cleland, A., Mitchinson, W. and Townend, A. (2008) Engagement, assertiveness and business performance: A new perspective. Ixia Consultancy Ltd.
Collins, J. (2001) Good to great: Why some companies make the leap and others don't. Random House Business
Collins, J. C., and Porras, J. I. (2004) Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. Harper Business. 3rd Edition.
Collins, J. C. (2001) Good to great. Harper Business
Collins, J. C., and Hansen, M. T. (2011) Great by choice: Uncertainty, chaos, and luck - why some thrive despite them all. Random House Business
Covey, S. (2020) The 7 habits of highly effective people. Simon and Schuster. Revised and updated 30th Anniversary edition.
Covey, S. M., and Merrill, R. M. (2006) The speed of trust: The one thing that changes everything. The Free Press
Creswell, J. W. (2013) Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches, 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Creswell, J. W., and Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage Publications
Cronback, L. J. (1975) Beyond the two disciplines of scientific psychology. American Psychologist 30 116-127
Cunningham, L., and Cuba, S. (2019) Margin of trust: The Berkshire Hathaway business model. Columbia University Press
Cunningham, L. (2013) The essays of Warren Buffet. Thomas Wiley 4th Edition
Cunningham, L. (2014) Berkshire beyond Buffet: The enduring value of values. Columbia University Press
Daft, R. L. (2019) Organization theory and design. CENGAGE Learning Custom Publishing 13th Edition.
Susskind, D. (2024) Growth: A reckoning. Allen Lee Publishers
Daugherty, P., and Wilson, J. (2022) Radically human: How new technology is transforming business and shaping our future. Harvard Business Review Press
Dewar, C., Keller, S. and Malhotra, V. (2022) The CEO effect: The six mindsets that distinguish the best leaders from the rest. Scribner Press
Doerr, J. (2018) Measure what matters: OKRs, the simple idea that drives 10X growth. Portfolio Publishing
Doherty, R., Kampel, C., Koivuniemi, A., Perez, L. and Rehm, W. (2023) The triple play: Growth, profit and sustainability. McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice Publication
Edmans, A. (2012) The link between job satisfaction and firm value, with implications for corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Perspectives. Volume 26, Issue 4, November 2012, Pages 1-19.
Edmans, A. (2021) Grow the pie: how great companies deliver both purpose and profit. Cambridge University Press
Edmondson, A. (2019) The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation and growth. Wiley.
Edmondson, A. (2012) Teaming: How organizations learn, innovate and compete in the knowledge economy. Jossey-Bass
Einstein, A. (1936) Principles of research: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. 221, Issue 3 (1936):349-354.
Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532-550.
Feser, C., Rennie, M. and Chen, N. (2018) Leadership at scale: Better leadership, better results. McKinsey
Forbes Middle East Magazine (English) June 9, 2024, Edition. Forbes Publishers
Freeman, E. (1984) Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Pitman Publishing
Freeman, E., and Harrison, J. (1994) Business ethics: A stakeholder issues management approach Pitman Publishing
Freeman. E., Harrison, J., Wicks, A., Parmar, B. and Colle, S. (2010) Stakeholder theory: The
Galor, O. (2011). Unified Growth Theory. Princeton University Press
Galor, O. (2022). Unified growth theory and comparative development. In B. Z. Jones & J. E. P. Smith (Eds.), Central issues in contemporary economic theory and policy (pp. 5-17). Springer.
Ghosh, A., Kapoor, R., and Lakhani, K. (2019) Competing in the age digital platforms. Harvard Business Review. Nov-Dec Issue
Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P., & Trow, M. (1994). The new production of knowledge: The dynamics of science and research in contemporary societies. Sage Publications
Gleick, J. (1997) Chaos: The amazing science of the unpredictable. Vintage
Granovetter, M. (1973) The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, Vol 78 (6)
Granovetter, M. (1985) Economic action and social structure: The problem of embeddedness. American Journal of Sociology, 91(3), 481-510
GNU Project. (2023). PSPP (Version 2.0.0) [Computer software] https://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/
Grant, A. (2013) Give and take: A revolutionary approach to success. Viking
Grant, A. (2021) Think again: the power of knowing what you don’t know. Penguin Random House
Grant, A. (2023) Hidden potential: The science of achieving greater things. Penguin Random House
Greenleaf, R. (1998) The power of servant leadership. Berret-Koehler Publishers
Greenleaf, R. (2012) Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness: Paulist Press
Gronn, P. (2002) Distributed leadership as a unit of analysis. The Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 13 Issue 4: 423-451
Hamel, G. (2001) Leading the revolution: How to thrive by making innovation a way of life. Penguin Publishing Group
Hamel, G. and Zanini, M. (2020) Humanocracy: Creating organizations as amazing as the people inside them. Harvard Business Review Press
Hammoudeh, M. M. (2012) Islamic values and management practices: Quality and transformation in the Arab world. Routledge
IDEO Little Book of Design Research Ethics (2024) IDEO Publication
Johnson, M. (2004) The new rules of engagement: Life‐work balance and employee commitment. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Joly, H. (2021) The heart of business: Leadership principles for the next era of capitalism. Harvard Business Review Press
Kahneman, D. (2012) Thinking: Fast and slow. Penguin First Edition
Kaplan, S., and Foster, R. (2001) Creative destruction. New York: Doubleday
Kaufman, P. D. (2024) Poor Charlie’s almanac. Stripe Press
Keller, S. and Schaninger, B. (2019) Beyond performance 2.0: A proven approach to leading large-scale change. Wiley
Kim, W. and Mauborgne, R. (2022) Blue ocean shift: Proven steps to inspire confidence and seize growth. Wiley
Kotter, J. (2014) Accelerate. Harvard Business Review Press
Levine, U. (2023) Fall in love with the problem, not the solution: A handbook for entrepreneurs. Matt Holt Books.
Levinson, E. (2007) Developing high employee engagement makes good business sense. Chicago University Press
Li Sun (2019) Employee engagement: A literature review. International Journal of Human Resource Studies ISSN 2162-3058 2019, Vol. 9, No. 1
Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 140, 1-55.
Lilius, M.M. (2022) Trust, knowledge and society. Martin Mikael Lilius (Self-published)
Lincoln, Y., and Guba, E. G. (1985) Naturalistic inquiry. Sage
Lincoln, Y., and Guba, E. G. (1994) Competing paradigms in qualitative research. Handbook of qualitative research, 2 (163-194), 105.
Lorenz, E. (1972) Predictability: Does the flap of a of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? American Association for the Advancement of Sciences: 139th meeting.
M &A Report (2024) The culture compass: Using early insights to guide integration planning. McKinsey Publication.
Macey, W.H. and Schneider, B. (2008) The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Vol 1. pp3–30.
Maor, D., Kaas, H.-W., Strovink, K., & Srinivasan, R. (2024). The journey of leadership: How CEOs learn to lead from the inside out. Penguin Random House.
Maor, D., & Sukharevsky, A. (2023). The organization of the future: Enabled by gen AI, driven by people. McKinsey Digital, and QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey.
Mandelbrot, B. B., and Hudson, R. L. (2008) The (mis)behavior of markets: A fractal view of risk, ruin and reward. Profile Books
Martin, R. (2007) The opposable mind: How successful leaders win through integrative thinking. Harvard Business Review Press
Martin, R. (2009). The design of business: Why design thinking is the next competitive advantage. Harvard Business Press
Martin, R., and Moldoveanu, M. (2007) Designing the thinker of the future. Rotman Magazine. Winter 2007 Rotman Business School
Mazzucato, M. (2021) Mission economy: A moonshot guide to changing capitalism. Penguin.
McKinsey (2023) The triple play: growth, profit and sustainability. McKinsey Publishing
McKinsey (2023) Technology trends outlook. McKinsey Report published July 2023
McKinsey (2023) World industry services report. McKinsey Publishing
McKinsey DTI (2018) The business value of design thinking report. McKinsey Publishing
McKinsey Global Institute (February 2023) People and performance report. McKinsey Publishing
McKinsey Growth, Marketing & Sales Practice (2023) Courageous growth: Six strategies for continuous growth outperformance. McKinsey Publishing
McKinsey Operations Practice (2023) Operational excellence: How purpose and technology can power performance. McKinsey Publishing
McKinsey M&A Practice (2024) Top M&A trends in 2024: Blueprint for success in the next wave of deals. McKinsey Publishing
Nadella, S. (2017) Hit refresh: The quest to rediscover Microsoft’s soul and imagine a better future for everyone. HarperCollins Publishers
Nohria, N., Joyce, W.F., and Robertson, B. (2003) What really works? Harvard Business Review 81(7):42-52, 116
Palmer, K. and Blake, D. (2018) Expertise economy: how the smartest companies use learning to engage, engage, compete, and succeed. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Parker, D. and Stacey, R. (1994) Chaos, management and economics. Hobart Paper 125. The Institute of Economics Affairs.
Parrish, S. (2024) Economics and art: The great mental models. Cornerstone Press.
Pearl, J., Glymour, M., and Jewell, N. (2016) Causal inference in statistics. A primer. Wiley.
Peters, T. (2021) Excellence now: Extreme humanism. Networlding Publishing
Peters, T., and Waterman, R. (1982) In search of excellence: Lessons from America’s best-run companies. HarperCollins Business
Pfeffer J., and Sutton, R. I (1999) The knowing-doing gap: How smart companies turn knowledge into action. Harvard Business Review Press
Pfeffer J., and Sutton, R. I (2006) Hard facts, dangerous half-truths and total nonsense: Profiting from evidence-based management. Harvard Business Review Press
Pfeffer, J. (1994) Competitive advantage through people: Unleashing the power of the workforce. Harvard Business School Press
Pfeffer, J. (1997) New directions for organization theory: Problems and prospects. Oxford University Press
Pfeffer, J. (1998) The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Harvard Business Review Press
Pikkety, T. (2014) Capital in the twenty first century. Belknap Press
Pikkety, T. (2020) Capital and ideology. Belknap Press
Pisano, G., and Shih, W. (2009) Restoring American competitiveness. Harvard Business Review July-August
Pisano, G.P. (2019) Creative construction: The DNA of sustained innovation PublicAffairs Publishing
Porcini, M. (2023) The human siding innovation: The power of people in love with people. Barrett-Koehler Publishers Inc
Post, J., Preston, L. and Sachs, S. (2002) Redefining the corporation: Stakeholder management and organizational wealth. Stanford University Press
Preston, L., and Sapienza, H.J. 1990) Stakeholder management and corporate performance. Journal of Behavioral Economics 19 (4): 361-375
Raffety, R. in Hudson, B., Leask, M. and Younie, S. (Eds) (2020) Education system design: Foundations, policy options and consequences. Chapter 12: Leadership and innovation. Routledge
Ramaswamy, V., and Gouillart, F. (2010) The power of co-creation: Build it with them to boost growth, productivity and profits. Free Press
Rittel, H. W. J. and Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155-169.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2009) Research methods for business students. Prentice Hall Fifth Edition.
Scharmer, O. and Kaufer, K. (2013) Leading from the emerging future: From ego-system to eco-system economies. Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
Schein, E. (2004) Organizational culture and leadership. Jossey-Bass 3rd Edition
Schein, E. (2013) Humble inquiry: The gentle art of asking instead of telling. Jossey Bass
Schmidt, E., and Rosenberg, J. (2014) How google works. John Murray Publishing
Selznick, P. (1957) Leadership in administration: A sociological interpretation. Harper and Row
Senge, P. (2010) The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Cornerstone Digital Publishing. New Edition
Senge, P., Scharmer, O. Jaworski, J. and Flowers, B. S. (2005) Presence: Exploring profound change in people, organizations and society. Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Sheppard A. (2018) The business value of design. McKinsey Publications
Stiglitz, J. (2019) People, power and profits: Progressive capitalism for an age of discontent
Ulrich, D., Zenger, J. and Smallwood, N. (1999) Results-based leadership. Harvard Business Review Press
Veen, M. (2021). Creative leaps in theory: The might of abduction. Journal of Educational Philosophy, 40(2), 123-137.
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246. Sage: London, Thousand Oaks, CA, and New Delhi.
Wicks, A. C., and Freeman, R.E. (1998) Organization studies and the new pragmatism: Positivism, anti-positivism, and the search for ethics. Organization Science 9 (2): 123-140
Williamson, O. E. (1999) Economic institutions of capitalism: Firms, markets, relational contracting. Harvard Business Review May-June Issue.
World Economic Forum (2016) Future of jobs report. WEF Publishing
Yin, R. K. (2011). Qualitative research from start to finish. The Guildford Press
Yin, R. K. (2014; 2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods. Sage Publications
Young, J. and Gifford, J. (2021) Employee engagement: An evidence review. Scientific summary. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Zook, C. and Allen, J. (2001) Profit from the core: A return to growth in turbulent times. Harvard Business Review Press
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Yasser Zaghloul (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Agreement
This Publication Agreement ("Agreement") is made between the author(s) ("Author") and the SBS Journal of Applied Business Research ("Journal"). By submitting a manuscript for publication, the Author agrees to the following terms:
1. Grant of License
The Author retains full copyright ownership of the submitted and published work. The Author grants the Journal a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the article in any format or medium, including but not limited to online and print versions.
2. Open Access and Licensing
All articles published in the Journal are fully open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that:
• The work can be freely used, shared, and adapted by anyone, provided that proper attribution is given to the original Author.
• The full license terms can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
• No additional restrictions are placed on the use of published articles.
3. Author Responsibilities and Warranties
The Author guarantees that:
• The submitted work is original and has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.
• The work does not infringe on any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, or proprietary rights.
• All necessary permissions for copyrighted materials used in the manuscript (e.g., figures, tables) have been obtained.
• The manuscript complies with ethical research standards and does not contain any form of plagiarism or falsified data.
4. Editorial and Publication Process
• The Journal reserves the right to perform editorial revisions for clarity, formatting, and consistency while maintaining the integrity of the Author’s work.
• The publication of an article is subject to peer review, and acceptance is not guaranteed upon submission.
5. Retraction and Corrections
• The Journal follows COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and reserves the right to retract, correct, or withdraw an article in cases of misconduct, errors, or ethical concerns.
6. Governing Law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of Switzerland. Any disputes arising under this Agreement shall be resolved in the courts of Zurich, Switzerland.
7. Agreement Acceptance
By submitting a manuscript, the Author acknowledges and agrees to the terms outlined in this Agreement.
Editor-In-Chief
Prof. Dr. Milos Petkovic