Network Leadership Theory: A New Research Agenda

Abstract

As a social phenomenon and a mechanism for influencing others, leadership always has interested scientists. Literary reviews on the theoretical foundations, types of classifications, and prospects for leadership development are an essential element of careful study of this concept. Today, the systematization of types of leadership on various grounds is a necessary component for understanding the nature of this phenomenon. The paper analyzes 2,000 published research papers from the Scopus database, identifying critical terms related to leadership. Establishing links between leadership and related concepts creates the most accurate picture for further research on this topic. The study is devoted to studying the theoretical and practical experience of scientists worldwide who research management as a critical aspect in building an effective organization. Systematization of such data is the basis for identifying current and fundamentally new directions of effective leadership. The keyword in the described bibliometric analysis was the concept of “leadership”. New clusters have been formed with the most influential definitions of transformational leadership, communication, and shared leadership. The combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods determined the future directions of study in the further search for effective leadership tools. The content analysis of the most cited scientific works was carried out in the research, which reveals the essence of tools for the development of effective leadership and the need for timely diagnosis of the negative behavior of managers. Bibliometric analysis and analysis of the development of leadership theory reveal the need to implement the principles of Network Leadership Theory in modern organizations, which are the basis of the state’s economic development as a whole.