GenAI, Leadership, and Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Management Capability

Entrepreneurial Leadership and SME Performance: Examining the Mediating Role of Innovation Capability

This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial leadership on SME performance through the mediating role of innovation capability among Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Makassar City, Indonesia. A quantitative approach with an explanatory research design was employed. Data were collected from 80 SME owners and managers using purposive sampling and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results revealed that entrepreneurial leadership positively and significantly affects innovation capability and SME performance. Innovation capability also has a positive and significant effect on SME performance and significantly mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and SME performance. These findings indicate that entrepreneurial leadership contributes to improved business performance both directly and indirectly through the development of innovation capability. The study concludes that innovation capability serves as an important mechanism linking entrepreneurial leadership to SME performance. The findings support the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capability Theory and provide empirical evidence on the importance of entrepreneurial leadership and innovation capability in enhancing SME performance.

Igniting passion, inspiring employees: how entrepreneurial leadership fuels entrepreneurial persistence

Based on social learning theory, this study investigates how and when employees’ entrepreneurial persistence behaviour can be inspired by entrepreneurial leadership. Specifically, this study introduces the mediating role of entrepreneurial passion and the moderating role of entrepreneurial competence. These hypotheses were tested using a two-wave field survey involving 186 Chinese startup employees over a six-month period. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the moderated mediation model. Results showed a positive relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and employees’ entrepreneurial persistence behaviour, with employees’ entrepreneurial passion mediating this effect. This mediation was particularly significant for employees with high entrepreneurial competence. This study is limited by its China-centric sample and two-wave time-lagged survey design, along with its sole reliance on empirical survey research, potentially constraining the generalisability and dynamic insights of the findings. Additionally, despite focussing on individual-level factors, it overlooks cross-level team and organisational influences. The findings offer guidance for organisations and leaders to cultivate entrepreneurial leadership and foster employees’ entrepreneurial passion consciously. Additionally, the findings encourage organisations and leaders to take proactive measures to enhance employees’ entrepreneurial competence. Firstly, this research contributes to the literature by shifting the focus from entrepreneurs to employees, offering new insights into employees’ entrepreneurial persistence behaviour. Secondly, it provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how and under what conditions entrepreneurial leadership drives employees’ entrepreneurial persistence behaviour, enriching the research on entrepreneurial leadership.

Examining the antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions among management students in India: a structural equation modeling approach

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Competitive Advantage: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing in Enterprises

This study investigates how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) translates into competitive advantage (CA) and examines whether knowledge sharing (KS) functions as a mediating mechanism in this relationship. Although prior research has widely confirmed the positive association between EO and organizational performance, the internal processes through which entrepreneurial posture generates competitive value remain insufficiently explored. In particular, integrating entrepreneurship theory with the knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm calls for a deeper understanding of how strategic orientation is translated into sustainable CA through organizational knowledge processes. Drawing on the KBV and entrepreneurship literature, this study develops and empirically tests a model linking EO, KS, and CA. EO is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking, whereas KS is viewed as a key organizational process that enables the diffusion and integration of knowledge. The research is based on data collected through a CAWI survey conducted in 2026 among 256 enterprises operating in Poland. All constructs were measured using validated multi-item scales assessed on a five-point Likert scale. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling with bootstrapping. The results demonstrate that EO has a significant positive effect on both KS and CA. KS also positively influences CA and partially mediates the relationship between EO and CA. These findings suggest that EO enhances competitiveness not only directly, through strategic posture and opportunity exploitation, but also indirectly, through intensified knowledge-sharing processes that enable organizational learning and capability development. The study contributes to the literature by integrating entrepreneurship and knowledge management perspectives and by identifying KS as a key organizational mechanism linking EO with CA. The findings extend prior research by providing empirical evidence from enterprises operating in Central Europe. From a managerial perspective, the results highlight the importance of aligning entrepreneurial initiatives with a supportive knowledge-sharing climate to achieve sustainable competitive outcomes.

Knowledge-oriented leadership and team members’ change-oriented behavior: a social learning perspective

As generative artificial intelligence reshapes knowledge work, knowledge workers – employees who create, share and utilize knowledge – are compelled to actively adapt to and drive these transformations. Knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) can address their urgent needs for knowledge updating and skill upgrading, enabling them to adapt to and engage in organizational change. Given the importance of KOL, this study explores its relationship with team members’ change-oriented behavior, focusing on the mediating role of individual intellectual capital (the sum of work-related knowledge accumulated by employees) and the moderating role of task novelty in this relationship. We conducted two studies to test our model. Study 1 (field study) collected data from 376 members in 76 teams in three waves, and Study 2 (scenario experiment) used data from 237 participants. The results show that (1) KOL is positively related to team members’ change-oriented behavior; (2) individual intellectual capital mediates the effect of KOL on team members’ change-oriented behavior; (3) task novelty positively moderates the relationship between KOL and individual intellectual capital and (4) task novelty positively moderates the indirect relationship between KOL and team members' change-oriented behavior through individual intellectual capital. This study situates KOL within the framework of organizational change, providing a knowledge-based explanation of how leadership influences team members’ change-oriented behavior.

Effect of Digital Leadership on Enhancing Organizational Agility through the Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing: An Applied Study in Iraqi Service Companies

This study aims to examine the effect of digital leadership on enhancing organizational agility through the mediating role of knowledge sharing, focusing on Iraqi service companies in Baghdad. In the context of the Fourth Digital Revolution, companies face increasing challenges that necessitate adopting innovative digital strategies to enhance their flexibility and adaptability to rapid changes in the economic and technological environment. Digital leadership emerges as a pivotal factor in guiding organizations towards excellence. It stimulates knowledge exchange and fosters internal collaboration, enhancing organizational agility capabilities such as rapid response and continuous innovation. The study employed a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data, and collected information from 207 employees and managers of prominent Iraqi service companies. Advanced statistical tools such as factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to measure causal relationships between variables. The results showed a statistically significant positive effect of digital leadership on organizational agility, with a strong mediating role of knowledge sharing in enhancing this effect. The study recommends developing training programs to strengthen digital competencies and cultivate a culture of knowledge sharing to increase the competitiveness of Iraqi institutions in a changing digital environment.