LEADERSHIP MECHANISMS DRIVING INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR: A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJIREV.825021Keywords:
Innovative Work Behaviour, Ethical Leadership, Servant Leadership, Leadership MechanismsAbstract
This study comprehensively examines the development of global research related to leadership and resilience in the context of Innovative Work Behaviour (IWB) through a bibliometric analysis approach for the period 2016 to 2026. In an organizational landscape increasingly influenced by digital transformation, environmental instability and changing workforce dynamics, leadership and employee resilience are increasingly considered strategic elements that support the continuity of innovation. This change has driven increased academic interest in the role of both constructs in strengthening the ability of organizations to adapt to current and future challenges. Although the number of studies published in this field continues to increase, understanding of the underlying knowledge structure has not yet developed comprehensively. To address this issue, the study systematically mapped the evolution, influence, and thematic composition of the literature to reveal how knowledge in this field has expanded. Using a rigorous bibliometric methodology, 518 Scopus-indexed documents were retrieved and refined through OpenRefine to ensure validity, rigor, and consistency of the data. Descriptive performance analysis was conducted using Scopus Analyzer, while science mapping techniques, co-authorship, citation, and keyword co-occurrence analysis were performed using VOSviewer. The results reveal a rapid growth and continued surge in publications after 2020, reflecting the increased scholarly attention driven by digitalization and post-pandemic organizational challenges. Innovative work behaviors stand out as a key thematic focus, having significant convergence with leadership styles such as transformational, servant, ethical, inclusive, and digital leadership, while being driven by psychological mechanisms related to resilience including empowerment, self-efficacy, and work engagement. China, Pakistan, and Malaysia lead the way in publication output and the strength of collaborative links, reflecting the growing influence of emerging economies in shaping this research agenda. Thematic clustering further conceptualizes an overreliance on leadership- and individual-level explanations, with relatively limited integration of digital capability and sustainability perspectives. Overall, this research effort pioneers a structured mapping of the intellectual foundation in the field, while also exploring saturation points and underexplored research gaps. This study provides a comprehensive view of the current research scope that incorporates the dimensions of leadership, resilience, and innovative work behaviour in modern organisational environments.
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