Empirical research on responsible leadership: a literature review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Responsible leadership (RL) has gained increasing attention in recent years as organisations face growing pressure to address social and environmental challenges. RL involves leading with a sense of purpose and responsibility towards stakeholders, society, and the environment beyond the interests of shareholders and profit maximisation. This literature review focuses on RL in academic settings. Using the PRISMA protocol involves a systematic analysis of empirical research in SCOPUS and EBSCO-indexed records between 2006 and 2023. We focused on articles that contained ‘Responsible Leadership’ in the title and education-related terms in the abstract, reducing the initial pool of 107 articles to a final selection of 16. These articles underline RL's crucial role in enhancing staff engagement, fostering innovation in schools, and improving student outcomes and satisfaction, all of which are vital educational aspects. This review outlines the components of RL, offering a tentative general definition and nomological network of the concept. It also highlights the need for further studies to explore the integration and impact of RL in academic settings.