Entrepreneurial leadership and organizational agility in the context of global uncertainty: The case of small firms in Rivers State

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine entrepreneurial leadership and organizational agility in the context of global uncertainty. This study employs a quantitative research design with a cross-sectional survey approach. The target group for this study includes managers, supervisors, and high-level employees in small-scale enterprises. The study used a stratified random sampling method to ensure proper representation of various levels of management and functions. The sample size of the study was 250 respondents. Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential analysis. Regression weight of structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized effects of entrepreneurial leadership dimensions on organizational agility. It revealed that entrepreneurial leadership has a significant positive effect on organizational agility via visionary thinking, proactivity, flexible strategies, and decision-making under uncertainty, rather than risk-taking. The study concluded that entrepreneurial leadership is a significant antecedent of organizational agility. The implications of the research findings for policymakers, educators, and SME support agencies are that they need to consider developing entrepreneurship and leadership programmes that improve cognitive adaptability and learning-oriented leadership, which ultimately improves organizational agility in uncertain and volatile business environments.