Social Capital and Transformational Leadership in Building the Resilience of Local Governance Networks

REVIEWER’S COMMENTS

CHANGES MADE

1

The authors develop the study based on the following sentence "However, many researchers believe these relationships are insufficiently studied, and scientists have not understood them well enough to use them effectively [18, 30]. There is also a research gap concerning the analysis conducted in networks." It is recommended that authors should add a para on how "this study" is different from existing literature and "what was missing" in previous literature

In the introduction, it was added that:

Although current research studies the relations between social capital and resilience [15] or transformational leadership and resilience [23-24], they are undertaken relatively rarely and have not been conducted together. This article examines them both, and the impact of transformational leadership on social capital is also analyzed. Moreover, research on the relationship between social capital, transformational leadership and resilience is conducted primarily from the organisation's perspective. This article is part of the underexplored research area related to the network level.

2

Furthermore, authors should add summary on findings at the end of introductory section. These findings should also be linked with existing literature and also the way these findings improve our Understanding on subject.

In the introduction, it was added that:

The findings indicate that contemporary local governance networks understand their resilence as an opportunity for development, not only for maintaining stability, which is an added value to the current scientific achievements [6-7]. They confirm the last research results [12, 23] that social capital significantly impacts building resilience. However, the most important are relational and cognitive capital. The findings also indicate that transformational leadership has an indirect influence on resilience. This result is in line with [29] because transformational leaders mainly shape their followers' values, beliefs, and behaviours. In general, this article contributes to developing the theory of resilience in governance networks.

3

Add a summary table to present the key findings from existing literature.

The summary was added in Table 1.

4

The author may also add a graphical representation of theoretical model to spell out the direction of relationships between social capital and local governance networks.

A graphical presentation of the results has been added in Figure 1.

5

Add a table on definition of each variable used in empirical analysis.

The definition of each variable was added in Table 2.

6

Lastly, authors should add discussion on the possibility of endogeneity and reverse causality among variables and suggest a mechanism to address these econometric issues.

In the limitations, it was added that:

The assurance of endogeneity of the conducted studies was based on careful consideration and selection of research variables based on adapted scales. However, it is possible that additional factors not have been included in this study. Moreover, reverse causality is also possible, according to which resistance could affect social capital, and strong social capital could stimulate transformational leadership development. This article does not explore these two directions of causality, but it does not rule them out. For this reason, in the future, there is a need for two-way verification of variables included in these studies, also in other contexts, or with the use of qualitative methods, e.g. case studies, in-depth interviews or focus groups.

COMMENTS

CHANGES MADE

1

In Material and Methods. Line 246-247 reads questionnaire survey. These are two different things. Questionnaire and survey has a huge difference. Please use correct terminology.

The survey was changed to the questionnaire in all text.

2

Why Polish counties are preferred. Please justify your axiological stance. You shall explain your reasoning for selecting Poland.

The text explains that:

Polish counties make decisions and provide public services in partnership and collaboration within governance networks. However, collaboration in such networks is extremely challenging, and many problems appear in this area, e.g. the dominant discourse, difficulties in finding unambiguous solutions, and lack of inter-organizational trust. Moreover, counties focus on implementing supra-communal issues. In the opinion of the co-founder of the Public Administration Reform in Poland in 1990 and 1998, this level of state organization appears to be the most appropriate for researching governance issues. Therefore, Polish counties have experience in conducting activities within governance networks and are organized in a way that enables effective public service delivery. For this reason, they are a case that allows the identification of significant dependencies supporting the development of governance networks.

3

Did you develop own scale or you adopted someone's scale? In case, it is your own developed scale, how did you ensure the validity and credibility of the items on the scale? If you have used previous scales, which one did you use and why it was preferred?

The scale adopted for research in the case of transformational leadership was adapted from Carless et al. (2000) and in social capital from Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998). In the case of resilience, the scale was adopted mainly based on research by Duchek, S. (2020), Duchek et al. (2020). These scales were selected because they are the most popular and verified research approaches. Information on the source of the factors adopted for the research is provided in Table 2.

4

Did you opt for any pilot testing? If yes, why and if not, then why not?

Pilot tests were conducted among 15 local government employees to test and evaluate the questionnaire. They helped to make the statements in the questionnaire more readable and transparent. Pilot tests were not included in the analyses or research analysis because they were only for verification of the planned research, and the selection of participants was purposeful.

5

How did you avoid personal biases? Any technique or method. Researcher could get personally involved and might influence the research outcome. Did you take any measures to avoid it?

Research biases were minimized by sending a request to complete the survey to all 380 Polish counties using the CAWI method. As a result, 199 correctly completed questionnaires were obtained. It is a representative research sample with a materiality level of α = 0.05 and a permissible error of e = 5%. Comparisons of the relationships between the participants in the study and the analysis of cases deviating from the norm were also conducted.

6

The selection of respondents need justification. How do you ensure the chairpersons of county directed it to the right person? It is a pick and choose method for chairperson when he/she circulates.

The cover letter asked the chairpersons to fill in the questionnaire personally or, if it is not possible, to redirect it to the most competent person in the field of governance networks. This approach is based on the assumption that the chairpersons would always like to present their county in the best way. Therefore, the person completing the questionnaire should be representative to ensure that the responses submitted are competent and appropriate.

7

What was the total number of respondents?

The total number of respondents was 199 from 380 of all counties. One reply was received from one county.

8

What was the total representative sample percentage?

The total representative sample percentage was 52.36.

9

What were the sampling technique/s used in the collection process?

The study was planned concerning random sampling. However, it was possible to request and conduct research in all Polish counties, but not all counties joined the research.

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Line 363: Please check again Table 6. The T-values in Table 6 - Path coefficients are not correct, there are errors in it.

Thank you very much for checking the calculations. The report generated in SmartPLS is attached as an appendix.

11

Heading 5. Conclusion on Line 450 contains implications and limitations.

Implications and limitations should be two separate headings. Elaborate the managerial implications further.

This section has been improved, and managerial implications have been completed in the following manner:

In reference to the above findings, managerial implications indicate that building the resilience of local governance networks has a very complex nature. Social capital is one of the factors influencing resilience significantly, primarily relational and cognitive capital. Appropriate relations between actors and the alignment of inter-organizational dependencies should also be developed to build the resilience of local governance networks. Choosing the right leader could help in achieving these requirements. The role of leaders is to create collaborative circumstances, and they have an indirect impact on the resilience of local governance networks.

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Also, there are many limitations that are not properly discussed, such as the methodology related aspects. If you have missed out on any, you should incorporate them as your limitations and give future directions to the researchers.

Limitations have also been completed:

Limitations also result from the research implementation process. First, this research covered only the county level. Due to the cross-scale nature of resilience, taking into account the commune, voivodeship and central level could help establish additional dependencies between analyzed dimensions. Therefore, the research could cover the remaining levels of the state organization in the future. Second, the research was carried out at a distance, making it impossible to answer responders' potential questions and clarify the statements in the questionnaire. Last but not least, the questionnaire was filled in by chairpersons and people in various positions, selected by chairpersons, who could answer the questions through the prism of their workplace. This approach could also limit the obtained results.

The assurance of endogeneity of the conducted studies was based on careful consideration and selection of research variables based on adapted scales. However, it is possible that additional factors not have been included in this study. Moreover, reverse causality is also possible, according to which resistance could affect social capital, and strong social capital could stimulate transformational leadership development. This article does not explore these two directions of causality, but it does not rule them out. For this reason, in the future, there is a need for two-way verification of variables included in these studies, also in other contexts, or with the use of qualitative methods, e.g. case studies, in-depth interviews or focus groups.