Leadership Today: An Enabler of Increased Productivity, Wellbeing and Sustainability

Abstract

This study focuses on leadership practice as an enabler for increased productivity, wellbeing and sustainability in knowledge organisations. Thus, the research question guiding this study is: ‘How does leadership practice enable increased productivity, wellbeing and sustainability in knowledge organisations?’. A qualitative inductive study was conducted through a systematic literature review (SR) of 10 recent relevant and high-quality peer-reviewed scientific articles and reports. After meeting the explicit criteria for relevance and quality, the selected studies were examined through qualitative content analysis. The results were organised in line with self-determination theory, which is robust, well-supported and multidimensional in connecting motivation and performance and, therefore, productivity and wellbeing in work organisations. This ultimately leads to leadership towards supporting an employee’s competence, relatedness and autonomy at work, which promotes positive work consequences (i.e. performance and wellbeing) and supports high-quality, sustainable motivation. This study identifies two additional categories building upon self-determination theory: (1) strategic leadership and management towards sustainability and (2) leadership towards supporting employees’ purposeful work. These categories form an integral part of the developed framework for the organisational context within the scope of the study’s focus and research question. This study’s results are organised into several themes: sustainable talent management; organisational support for creativity and feedback about one’s performance as well as recognition and follow-up on employees’ creative contributions; providing development and learning opportunities; transformational leadership; sustainable, responsible and ethical leadership; creation and management of organisational culture and climate; interpersonal relations and support; collaboration towards a common goal; flexibility and flexible solutions; trust and clarity; self-managing teams (distributed leadership); autonomy-supportive leadership; inclusive decision-making, employee focus and employee involvement; enabling sustainability through strategy work and leadership; and enabling meaningfulness and purpose at work. Finally, the findings of this study indicate potential sustainability challenges for organisations and avenues for increased sustainability.