Leadership Behaviors That Drive Organizational Resilience in Mid-Sized Enterprises

This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence from ۱۲ cross-sectional and mixed-methods studies across Asia, Africa, and Europe, exploring leadership behaviors linked to organizational resilience in medium-sized enterprises (SMEs, ۵۰-۲۴۹ employees) amid crises like COVID-۱۹ and economic volatility. Transformational leadership demonstrates the strongest positive correlations (mean β=۰.۵۵, R²=۰.۴۵ across ۸ studies), outperforming directive (β=۰.۴۲, R²=۰.۲۸) and entrepreneurial styles, by fostering adaptability through multidimensional pathways. Key mechanisms include mediation via psychological capital, employee job crafting, and ambidexterity (indirect effects β=۰.۲۹-۰.۵۵, p<۰.۰۱), with moderation by environmental uncertainty and organizational culture enhancing or attenuating links (interaction p=۰.۰۲۴-۰.۰۵). Digital and agile leadership emerge as potent in tech-intensive contexts (β=۰.۴۵-۰.۷۲, R²=۰.۳۸-۰.۴۵), while resilient and strategic variants support recovery in manufacturing and services. Convergent findings underscore transformational behaviors' generalizability, yet divergences highlight context-specific efficacy, such as entrepreneurial leadership's role in sustainability amid institutional pressures. Cross-sectional designs limit causality, and inconsistent scales (e.g., MLQ in ۷ studies) underscore needs for longitudinal, comparative meta-analyses with standardized effect sizes to refine resilience-building strategies for SMEs.

Keywords:

Organizational resilience , Crisis management , Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) , Transformational leadership