The use of PLS-SEM by the Italian management scholars' community: An updated review and some guidelines

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is a component-based structural equation modeling (SEM) technique that has gained prominence internationally in management studies. However, a comprehensive review of PLS-SEM’s use by Italian management scholars is not yet available. This research aims to fill this gap by reviewing the articles published by Italian scholars until the end of 2024 to identify current practices and areas for improvement. We analyze 140 PLS-SEM studies published by Italian management scholars covering four aspects: (1) reasons for using PLS-SEM, (2) sample and model characteristics, (3) structural model evaluation, and (4) advanced analysis techniques. The findings show that 106 of the 140 studies have been published in the 2022-2024 period, suggesting that PLS-SEM is gaining popularity among Italian management scholars. At the same time, the results show that researchers can benefit from the use of advanced PLS-SEM techniques in their studies. We make various suggestions based on our analyses.