Abstract
The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of transformational and transactional leadership styles on firms’ financial performance in a context of knowledge-intensive firms and the mediating role of exploitative and exploratory innovations in this relationship. To achieve this purpose, a quantitative research was conducted on 201 top executives working in knowledge-intensive firms in the context of an emerging country, namely Tunisia. The data analysis was performed via the structural equation modelling method. As a result, the empirical study revealed that the transformational leadership style is a key determinant of exploitative and exploratory innovations and firms’ financial performance. In this perspective, the two types of innovation partially mediate the link between transformational leadership and financial performance. However, transactional leadership affects only exploitative innovation. This original study offers a better understanding of the contribution of the transformational and transactional leadership styles on exploitative and exploratory innovations and the firms’ financial performance in a context of firms’ intensive knowledge. It offers a reading grid for managers of knowledge-intensive firms to better lead and identify key elements that may boost the firms’ innovation ambidexterity and performance.
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