Does empowering leadership affect SMEs' sustainability performance through knowledge transfer?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-27-2024
Abstract
Today’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) require greater engagement across organizational boundaries. This study examines the relationship between empowering leadership, knowledge transfer, and the sustainability performance of SMEs in three countries. It aims to enrich the field of empowering leadership and knowledge transfer in SMEs by demonstrating their impact on financial, environmental, and social performance. To do so, we use a sample of 392 SMEs from France, India, and the USA. The results suggest that empowering leadership has a direct effect on financial performance but hinders environmental performance. Additionally, although knowledge transfer may limit financial performance, it enhances environmental and social performance. This work is one of the first studies to examine the role of knowledge transfer as a mediator between empowering leadership and sustainability performance. Moreover, it may be used as a reference for improving the sustainability performance of SMEs.
Published In
Pett, T., Haddad, G., and Nagpal, G. (2024). Does empowering leadership affect SMEs' sustainability performance through knowledge transfer? European Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2024.03.008
Publication Title
European Management Journal
DOI
10.1016/j.emj.2024.03.008