Corporate entrepreneurship and leadership theories: conceptual review

Purpose This study aims to intersect corporate entrepreneurship (CE) as a construct with two leadership theories, agile leadership management (ALM) and complexity leadership theory (CLT), to develop further a conceptual model representing the relationship through scientific review and bibliometric analysis. The said leadership styles discussed here are essential for CE to grow, and therefore, this study aims to contribute to a firm’s survival in the circular economy. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis as research design. A total of 74 studies were included from the Scopus database in this review based on a specific inclusion–exclusion criterion and were analysed using VOS Viewer and MS-Excel. Findings This research found that agile leadership and complexity leadership framework contributed positively to the generation and promotion of CE in firms and created a conceptual model for the same. Also, a complementary bibliometric and keyword analysis of the included studies is presented. Research limitations/implications The study’s primary limitation lies in the limited number of studies included in the review. Also, the conceptual model proposed is subject to further empirical testing; moreover, both ALM and CLT impact CE and other business environment factors that can guide future research. Practical implications This study gives insights into the significance of CE and leadership style through a systematic literature review in designing the conceptual model. This research will be a significant contribution to leadership and entrepreneurship. This research can guide many leadership styles in developing strategies for a sustainable organization model by boosting CE to tackle economic challenges such as a circular economy. Social implications This study conceptual model can be used for developing a sustainable organizational model using leadership as a mediating factor to survive in a continuous changing environment. Originality/value The two leadership styles included in this study are relatively new, and research has been on the boom for the past decade. There has been little research on the interplay of these leadership styles on CE.