Uncover the White and Black Box of Laissez-Faire Leadership for Organizational Sustainability: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Modern workplaces are in need of a nuanced understanding of diverse leadership styles to effectively address their unique challenges and opportunities. This implies that the study of laissez-faire leadership holds significant value as it provides a comprehensive insight into leadership styles, practical applications, and impact on individuals, teams, and organizations. Leaders well-versed in the hands-off approach can strategically use the approach to harmonize with the goals and characteristics of team members and organizations. Therefore, this research aimed to provide a systematic and thorough analysis of global trends in leadership, specifically focusing on the laissez-faire leadership style, through a bibliometric approach. The Scopus database was adopted to analyze and categorize all open-access English literature published from 1993 to 2023. VOSviewer software was also used for the graphical mapping of the scientific landscape. Out of 552 documents from the Scopus database related to laissez-faire leadership, 85 were selected for in-depth bibliometric analysis to comprehensively assess the current state and anticipate future trends. The results showed a significant upward trajectory in the literature, indicating that laissez-faire leadership had profound effects on organizations and their members. On one hand, the hands-off approach enhanced job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work engagement, motivation, rewards, and employee well-being. Laissez-faire leadership could also lead to significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion, job stress, burnout, and workplace bullying. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2023-04-03-08 Full Text: PDF