Impact of Entrepreneurial Leadership on Product Innovation Performance: Intervening Effect of Absorptive Capacity, Intra-Firm Networks, and Design Thinking

Khaliq Ur Rehman, Farhan Aslam, Mário Nuno Mata, José Moleiro Martins, António Abreu, António Lourenço () and Sabita Mariam
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Khaliq Ur Rehman: School of Management, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Farhan Aslam: School of Management, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Mário Nuno Mata: Lisbon Accounting and Business School, Lisbon Polytechnic Institute, 1069-035 Lisboa, Portugal
José Moleiro Martins: Lisbon Accounting and Business School, Lisbon Polytechnic Institute, 1069-035 Lisboa, Portugal
António Abreu: Lisbon Higher Institute of Engineering (ISEL), Lisbon Polytechnic Institute, 1959-007 Lisboa, Portugal
Sabita Mariam: Department of Business Administration, Government College Women University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-16

Abstract: The main objective of this research is to investigate the nexus between entrepreneurial leadership and product innovation performance. In addition, the mediating mechanism of absorptive capacity, intra-firm networks, and design thinking through which entrepreneurial leaders influence product innovation performanceis also studied. The researcher contacted three hundred (300) plus firms; 157 firms showed a willingness to participate, and 96 firms provided the data with a response rate of 61.15%. Out of those 96 firms, the data from 71 firms were used for the final analysis, yielding an effective response rate of 45.22%. Only middle and top-level employees from the marketing and research & development departments from Pakistani firms were selected as respondents because these two departments are directly related to product innovation performance. To test the hypothesis, the Smart PLS-SEM technique wasused. The empirical analysis revealed that entrepreneurial leadership impacted product innovation performance through the mediating mechanism of design thinking, intra-firm networks, and absorptive capacity. The current research contributes to entrepreneurial leadership theory by proposing and empirically testing how entrepreneurial leaders affect product innovation performance.

Keywords: entrepreneurial leadership; product innovation performance; risk; design thinking; intra-firm networks; absorptive capacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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