BAR - Brazilian Administration Review

Systematic literature reviews (SLRs) have become a fixture of management scholarship, yet a commensurate rise has not matched their exponential proliferation in theoretical contribution. This editorial argues that SLRs in management are neither dead nor merely alive; they are at an inflection point that demands both methodological and intellectual reinvention. The core problem is not the method itself but the predominance of a descriptive, bibliometric mode of execution that delivers mapping when leading journals increasingly demand explanation, critical reflection, theoretical insight, and forward-looking research agendas. Drawing on recent advances in theory development and research methodology, this editorial proposes a portfolio of approaches ranging from framework-based integrative reviews and meta-analytic structural equation modeling to realist synthesis and theory-driven reviews organized by the level of theoretical contribution each can generate. A decision framework guides researchers in choosing the approach most aligned with their epistemological commitments and the field's maturity. The editorial concludes with explicit expectations for SLR submissions to the Brazilian Administration Review.

Objective: this article offers an overview of research on racial diversity within organizations, mapping its foundations, tensions, and theoretical horizons. Methods: we analyze the intellectual structure and evolution of the field using an integrative literature review employing mixed methods (scientific mapping and content analysis) on Web of Science data. Results: key findings reveal thematic stratification by journal impact tier, theoretical progression from foundational studies towards dynamic perspectives, performance debates shifting focus to causality and context, and predominantly US-centric collaboration networks. Conclusions: synthesizing the reviewed literature underscores that the organizational impact of racial diversity is not automatic but highly sensitive to the dynamic interplay between managerial approaches, internal organizational factors (e.g., culture, leadership, context), and the external business environment. Effectively managing racial diversity thus requires moving beyond simplistic paradigms towards systemic, context-dependent understandings. This highlights the critical need for tailored organizational strategies and points towards future research investigating these complex, interacting conditions to better harness racial diversity’s potential.

Objective: This study examines the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption, digital transformation, and digital maturity in a Brazilian subsidiary operating in the mobility and payment ecosystem. Methods: An interpretivist, qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a single case study with semi-structured interviews and the CRITIC and WASPAS multi-criteria decision-making techniques. Results: The findings show that AI adoption is shaped by organizational structure, culture, employee training, and technological integration. When supported by governance, acculturation, and capability development, these conditions may contribute to digital transformation. In the CRITIC-based weighting structure, implementation cost presented the lowest informational contribution, while internal development emerged as the most salient alternative, followed by partial implementation and ready-made or outsourced solutions. Managers also associate AI adoption with gains in efficiency, customer experience, and competitive positioning. Conclusions: The study shows that AI adoption interacts with digital transformation and digital maturity in an emerging-market subsidiary, not as a universal driver of transformation, but as a contingent catalyst shaped by governance, acculturation, internal capabilities, and ecosystem coordination.

Objective: this study aims to analyze the motivations behind the exit of women without children from corporate careers and how these transitions impact career sustainability. We argue that career transitions involve dynamic processes of person–career fit shaped by gendered organizational contexts, through which structural gender inequalities influence women’s perceptions of career sustainability over time. Methods: the research is based on 20 narrative interviews with Brazilian women who underwent career transitions. Thematic analysis was conducted using the sustainable career framework, considering the dimensions of agency, meaning, time, and context. Results: based on the results, we propose a processual theoretical model that highlights how career sustainability is built through transitional processes over time. The findings indicate that gender plays a significant role in shaping transitions toward more sustainable trajectories and the mobilities required to maintain employability. Conclusions: even among women with resources and skills to navigate the labor market, we identify what we define as ‘gendered exhaustion’ — a condition marked by emotional fatigue resulting from the persistent confrontation with gendered barriers to accessing and remaining in prestigious organizational roles.

Objective: the objective of this study was to analyze the effect of capital structure on the relationship between intangible resources and innovation capability. Methods: the hypotheses were tested using a panel dataset of 487 US companies listed on the S&P index from 2015 to 2022, employing fixed-effects regression models. Results: the results indicate that three intangible resources — accounting intangibility, marketing investments, and market-to-book — positively influence innovation capability. However, the effects of accounting intangibility and market-to-book on innovation capability diminish when firms rely primarily on debt financing, as opposed to equity issuance (i.e., the moderator). Conclusions: the findings highlight that different types of intangible resources contribute to innovation capability and underscore the role of capital structure in shaping management practices aimed at achieving competitive advantages and long-term corporate sustainability.