Leading the way: the entrepreneur or the leader?

Abstract

Researchers seem to focus overwhelmingly on entrepreneurial leadership as seen in recent studies in the literature. This situation becomes more complex as research draws on parallels between leadership and entrepreneurship. This has led to an ongoing debate on the veracity of entrepreneurship as a distinct field of study. The purpose of this article is to explore these independent fields of study to provide a clear understanding of their close association, peculiarities, and theoretical considerations. The article is based on a critical review of the extant literature on leadership, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial leadership. It focuses on the existing theories and perspectives and attempts were made to draw parallels within the domains of leadership, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial leadership. Entrepreneurial leadership though a distinct field of study within the domain of leadership is deeply embedded in the positive integration of the fields of leadership and entrepreneurship. This close association was further reinforced by similarities and in some instances the replication of attributes and skills within the three fields. This article brings additional insights that exist within the field of leadership and entrepreneurship particularly in proposing an integrative model for entrepreneurial leadership based on the positive integration of entrepreneurship and leadership.

RÉSUMÉ

Les chercheurs semblent se concentrer massivement sur le leadership entrepreneurial, comme le montrent de récentes études. Cette situation se complexifie à mesure que la recherche établit des parallèles entre le leadership et l’entrepreneuriat. Cela a conduit à un débat en cours sur la véracité de l’entrepreneuriat en tant que domaine d’étude distinct. L’objectif de cet article est d’explorer ces domaines indépendants d’étude pour obtenir une bonne compréhension de leur étroite association, leurs particularités et leurs considérations théoriques. L’article est basé sur une revue critique de la littérature existante sur le leadership, l’entrepreneuriat et le leadership entrepreneurial. Le leadership entrepreneurial, bien que constituant un domaine d’étude distinct au sein du domaine du leadership, est profondément ancré dans l’intégration positive des domaines du leadership et de l’entrepreneuriat. Cette association étroite a été renforcée par des similitudes et, dans certains cas, la réplication des attributs et des compétences au sein des trois domaines. Cet article offre des éclairages supplémentaires qui existent dans le domaine du leadership et de l’entrepreneuriat, notamment en proposant un modèle intégratif de leadership entrepreneurial basé sur l’intégration positive de l’entrepreneuriat et le leadership.

Keywords:

• Entrepreneurship
• entrepreneurial leadership
• leadership
• attributes
• skills

MOTS-CLÉS:

• Entrepreneuriat
• leadership entrepreneurial
• leadership
• attributs
• compétences

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christian Harrison

Dr. Christian Harrison is the programme leader of the MSc Leadership and Management in the School of Business and Creative Industries in the University of the West of Scotland. He is the author of numerous published peer-reviewed papers on Entrepreneurial Leadership which is his major research interest and serves as the Director of Studies of several doctoral students. He is also the Chair of the Leadership and Leadership Development Special Interest Group of the British Academy of Management. Christian works extensively as a consultant on leadership development within organisations. He is the founder of the NGO; The Leadership Mould Initiative International. The NGO supports students and moulds future leaders. He is also the author of the book entitled ‘Leadership Theory and Research: A Critical Approach to New and Existing Paradigms’, which is published by the globally renowned publishing company; Palgrave MacMillan.

Ibiyemi Omeihe

Ibiyemi Omeihe is a doctoral candidate at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). Her research interests include leadership and leadership development, entrepreneurship and inter-organisational trust. Previous projects have focused on understanding the importance of entrepreneurial leadership and how the cultural dimensions of institutions enable and constrain leadership behaviour. A commitment to qualitative inquiry runs throughout her research. She finished as the valedictorian of the UWS MBA 2019 cohort, achieving a distinction and winning the overall court medal. Ibiyemi is the co-founder of Enterprise Partnership Africa Network and a member of the Centre for African Research on Enterprise and Economic Development. As a practitioner, she has worked across emerging markets as a business advisor.

Amon Simba

Dr. Amon Simba is an established research and teaching scholar at Nottingham Business School, and his expertise lies in entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (JSBE) and in the Editorial Team at the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. He is also an Editorial Board Member of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Amon Simba is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email protected].

Kingsley Omeihe

Dr. Kingsley Omeihe is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Edinburgh Napier University. He maintains research in the fields of entrepreneurship, leadership and economic sociology. As an academic, Kingsley champions the concept of student entrepreneurship and his ‘Entrepreneurship Partnership Initiative’ serves as a launch pad for promoting entrepreneurship across schools in the UK and Africa. Prior to joining Napier University, Kingsley was a faculty member at the University of the West of Scotland's School of Business. Kingsley's contribution to leadership and entrepreneurship studies relies on the use of institutional logics to critically analyse complex entrepreneurial behaviour in society. He has published articles in international peer-reviewed journals, in addition to ongoing authored books, as well as chapter contributions. He is the co-Chair of the Entrepreneurship-in-Minority Group, Special Interest Group of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE).