Fostering sustainable productive entrepreneurs by green transformational leadership efficiency and adoption of artificial intelligence-tools in Saudi micro and small enterprises

Abstract The growing opportunities for positive employment offered by micro and small enterprises (MSMEs) represent a leading focus of research into the crucial individual factors that motivate employees to become potential entrepreneurs. This is achieved by enhancing their skills in adopting artificial intelligence tools (AI-tools) and green transformational leadership efficiency (GTLE) to create innovative green entrepreneurial projects. Accordingly, we sought to investigate the impact of these critical factors—AI-tools and GTLE—on transforming employees into potential entrepreneurs when they leverage their skills and employ AI tools to assist them in their work. We also examined the role of GTLE in encouraging this entrepreneurial shift from traditional employees to sustainable productive entrepreneurs (SPE). The study sample consisted of 387 MSMEs employees in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia, considered as potential entrepreneurs. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted using least partial squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The research yielded significant results, demonstrating that the long-term effects of AI tools positively impacted GTLE. The results also revealed that the effectiveness of GTLE positively impacted on the transformation of employees into potential entrepreneurs characterized by SPE. Furthermore, the results demonstrated the ability of GTLE to mediate the relationship between the long-term effects of AI-tools and the development of sustainable, productive potential entrepreneurs. This research paper concludes with several scientific and practical recommendations and suggestions for decision-makers within the context of this study.