In the contemporary societal context, characterized by its complexity and turbulence, strategic management has emerged as a catalyst for organizational sustainability and the achievement of enduring outcomes. The present study is founded on a previous investigation by the authors (Berceanu & Nicolescu 2024), which analyzed the relationship between sustainable development and organizational sustainability—the collaborative dimension. This investigation demonstrated, amongst other things, that at the micro (organizational) level, strategic management creates the framework in which organizational collaboration (as a dimension of organizational intelligence) manifests itself consistently and leads to sustainable results. The present paper extends the analysis from the system level (public administration) using the theoretical framework of multilevel governance (MLG) to test the hypothesis that multilevel alignment (vertical and horizontal) is associated with organizational performance, and that this relationship is mediated by two strategic management capabilities: intelligence (OI) and organizational agility.
The present paper is based on data obtained by applying a national questionnaire to a representative sample of civil servants in Romania. The methodological approach adopted is quantitative, with a non-experimental cross-sectional design of an explanatory–correlational type.
The anticipated results aim to identify a positive effect of MLG alignment on OI, which in turn positively influences strategic agility. It is hypothesized that the latter acts as a form of organizational micro-resilience that translates organizational collaboration into performance.
This article employs an integrated analysis that connects the macro context created by GML with the micro organizational context (internal OI capabilities and strategic agility) and institutional performance. It is thus expected to provide empirical evidence for improving results-oriented organizational policies.
The conclusions of this research contribute to the current state of knowledge regarding the contribution of strategic agility as a bridge between multilevel governance and organizational performance.
