Innovative Leadership: A Literature Review Paper

Abstract

Innovation and leadership have been two key areas of research in the last decades. Various scholars have come up with multiple definitions of the terms, all revolving around the influence notion. Leaders have been reported to influence other individuals to dedicate their efforts to attain a given objective. Leadership, however, is a broad term, possessing many definitions. It includes and affects various approaches, situations, skills, reactions, competencies, and qualities. On the other hand, innovation is a practical implementation of methods or ideas that facilitate introducing new products or improving how services and goods are offered. To clearly understand the real meaning of innovative leadership, it is crucial first to fathom the leadership and innovation concepts. The paper aims to review the innovative leadership style as portrayed in the literature, and combining the two terms, and offering more insight and structural foundation for researching elements of innovative leadership.

Narratives as a Tool for Practically Wise Leadership

“…In today's ever-evolving business environment, characterized by high levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, traditional leadership styles of control and consistency are increasingly challenged. Consequently, corresponding practices are gradually shifting from dominating and commanding to influencing and persuading (Fairholm 2003;Mineo 2014), from merely objective and rational approaches to moral and emotional appeal (Dvir et al 2004;Küpers and Statler 2008;Rowley and Gibbs 2008), from traditional problem analysis to a problem-based cultivation of innovation (Alharbi 2021), from predetermined and consistent to open and adaptable (Nelson et al 2010), and from simply recognizing diversity to establishing cultural agility (Caligiuri 2013;Lundby and Caligiuri 2013). To enable excellent decision-making practices in day-to-day business, leaders are exploring alternative approaches that integrate rational analysis with situational knowledge and combine factual information with emotions.…”

Leadership Empowerment Values: A Literature Review

“…Innovative leadership is a combination of the four elements of emotional intelligence, innovative organization, management innovation and interaction with outsiders. Emotional intelligence helps leaders to be innovative in managing people and building innovative organizations and management and interacting with stakeholders (Alharbi, 2021;Davis, 2019;Sultana, 2012).…”

The Influence of Innovation Leadership on Employee Performance

“…Innovation is frequently mistaken with words like creativity, design, invention, and change. Furthermore, a number of definitions accurately convey what innovation really means (Alharbi, 2021). Innovation refers to three concepts: mindset, process, and result.…”

“…Additionally dedicated and visionary, innovative leaders work to advance the social, political, and economic well-being of society (Anand & Saraswati, 2014). To remain profitable and competitive in the face of new processes and technologies, it is crucial for businesses to think creatively (Alharbi, 2021).…”

“…The importance of innovative leadership in creating organizational success has been highlighted in research on innovative leaders (Alharbi, 2021;Alsolami et al, 2016;Muttaqin, 2022). Leadership is the capacity to affect performance, competence, and inspire workers within an organization toward objectives.…”