Navigating Normative Pressure: The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Innovation in Business Schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT French business schools operate in an environment shaped by international accreditations and rankings that, while ensuring legitimacy, impose uniform standards that constrain differentiation. This study examines how transformational leadership influences innovation under these normative pressures. Drawing on survey data from 344 teacher‐researchers across institutions affiliated with the “Conference des Grandes Ecoles,” the study evaluates the effects of four leadership dimensions on academic innovation. Results demonstrate that inspirational motivation ( β = 0.2636), individualized consideration ( β = 0.2050) and intellectual stimulation ( β = 0.1116) significantly enhance innovation behaviors, including exceeding job scope, proposing improvements and aligning with collective goals. Idealized Influence ( β = −0.4649) shows a strong negative relationship with innovation, suggesting that excessive charisma or paternalistic leadership may undermine faculty autonomy and suppress creativity. These findings exhibit that rational, critical‐thinking approaches resonate more effectively with teacher‐researchers than emotionally driven appeals. From a managerial perspective, the study recommends encouraging intellectual stimulation, fostering autonomy and providing structured recognition mechanisms, while avoiding overreliance on charismatic leadership. The research contributes to transformational leadership theory by showing how institutional environments moderate leadership effectiveness, offering insights into the paradoxes of innovation in standardized contexts and advancing understanding of leadership in higher education.

Affiliated Institutions

• Université catholique de lyon FR
• École Supérieure de Commerce de Toulouse FR
• Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques FR
• Notre Dame University – Louaize LB

Related Publications