This paper aims to synthesize the historical development of leadership complexity concepts while identifying emerging research trajectories and theoretical gaps. The increasing uncertainties in the business environment have made leadership challenging. Identifying these challenges and their redressal will help in making leadership more effective.
This study carries out a bibliometric analysis of 353 journal articles published in the Web of Science database from 1991 to 2024. The analysis includes co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling and thematic evolution mapping. Descriptive analyses of the literature show a contribution to several Sustainable Development Goals, but geographically concentrated research.
The findings from bibliometrics revealed the publication trends, key experts in the theme and important literature. Factors influencing leadership complexities are categorized into individual, organizational and macro-level factors. Their interaction leads to emergent factors that are underexplored in the literature. There are five key literary themes in the leadership complexity literature. Key findings indicate the need for the emergence of human-centric leadership paradigms, increased focus on crisis management capabilities and growing emphasis on cultural dimensions.
This study provides a comprehensive historical mapping of leadership complexity research evolution, offering valuable insights for management historians and contemporary scholars.
