Transformational leadership, innovation, and organizational performance in higher education institutions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Educational Research Review

Publication Date

11-1-2026

Abstract

Background Transformational leadership (TL) is a critical determinant of organizational success. However, there is a lack of evidence on how TL operates specifically in higher education institutions (HEIs), where innovation and organizational performance are shaped by academic autonomy, shared governance, and stakeholder accountability. This review, therefore, draws on existing evidence to further understand how TL affects innovation and organizational performance in HEIs, and which TL dimensions are most influential, and through which mechanisms these relationships are explained. Methods A systematic review of 65 peer-reviewed studies published between 2011 and 2024 was conducted using academic databases. Qualitative synthesis and quantitative meta-analytic techniques were employed to investigate the direct and indirect ways in which TL influences innovation and performance outcomes. Results This systematic review and meta-analysis consolidate that TL has a significant positive effect on both organizational innovation and performance in HEIs. The influence is attributed to the leaders' abilities to provide a supportive organizational environment, fostering employees’ motivation, collaboration, participatory decision-making, and risk-taking. Of the TL dimensions, inspirational motivation and individualized consideration emerged as the most influential drivers of organizational performance, while inspirational motivation showed the strongest effect on innovation. Emotional intelligence was identified as a critical enabler of individualized consideration, underscoring the affective foundations of effective TL in academic contexts. Conclusion This study advances the understanding of how TL operates in HEIs by highlighting specific leadership dimensions, mediators, and contextual moderators as key mechanisms linking TL to innovation and performance. Implications for future empirical and theoretical research, as well as practical initiatives for HEIs, are provided.

ISSN

1747-938X

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Volume

53

Disciplines

Business

Keywords

Higher education institutions, Innovation, Meta-analysis, Organizational performance, Systematic review, Transformational leadership

Scopus ID

105051562385

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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