The THE EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR ON THE INNOVATION PERFORMANCE OF SMES IN AFRICA

Janet Mensah; Joshua AMUZU; Raphael Lissillour; JEANMICHEL SAHUT

doi:10.54695/grhu.138.0081

Authors

Janet Mensah NIBS Business School
Joshua AMUZU NIBS Business School
Raphael Lissillour IPAG Business School Paris
JEANMICHEL SAHUT IDRAC Business School

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54695/grhu.138.0081

Keywords:

Leadership behavior, SME, Innovation Performance, Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Small and medium companies (SMEs) constitute a sector that is crucial in addressing the worldwide demands of 21st-century businesses. To perpetually enhance and maintain the operations of SMEs globally, there is a must for increased innovation stemming from value addition, particularly in developing nations. This necessity facilitates the examination of leadership behavior's impact on the innovative performance of SMEs in Ghana, a nation reliant on the export of a limited number of primary commodities, akin to numerous African countries. A mixed-method research methodology employed a cross-sectional survey to collect 305 responses from business owners and management personnel of SMEs by simple random sampling. A significant discovery is that leaders' endorsement of innovation positively impacts the innovation performance of SMEs. Consequently, numerous recommendations may be proposed. Initially, managers ought to cultivate enduring, trust-based relationships with others to augment the innovation performance of SMEs. Leaders ought to cultivate a personal network of professional contacts. Secondly, leaders ought to synthesize ideas, challenges, and observations into broader settings within organizational operations. Third, when companies actively implement enhancements and innovations, it synergizes with the entrepreneurial acumen of leaders to elevate the innovative performance of SMEs.

Author Biographies

Janet Mensah, NIBS Business School

Assitant Professor

Joshua AMUZU, NIBS Business School

Assitant Professor

Raphael Lissillour, IPAG Business School Paris

Dr. Raphael Lissillour is an associate professor in management at IPAG Business School and holds the position of China Program Director. He created and directs professional doctoral programs, Msc, EMBA and MBA programs in foreign markets in Asia and Africa in which he promotes the principles of Engaged Management Scholarship and Evidence-based Management. He graduated from IPAG Business School where he majored in international business. After having worked as a business developer during 10 years in Germany, South America and China (working language German, Spanish, and Chinese), he engaged in doctoral studies and holds a PhD in International Relations from Jilin University. He is also a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the Ecole Polytechnique (CRG) and was a Visiting Professor of Management at Zhejiang Gongshang University (China). His scientific interests focus on (1) logistics and international relations with a focus on maritime safety, (2) sociological approaches to information systems, and (3) innovation and entrepreneurship. His research articles have been published in top tier journals such as Information Technology and people, Logistique & Management, RIMHE, Revue Interdisciplinaire Management, Homme & Entreprise, Supply Chain Forum: an International Journal, and Gestion 2000. He is a member of the scientific committee in several international conferences such as the Knowledge Conference on Economics and Management 2019 and 2020 (organized by Palacky University in Olomouc), and the "AI in Management" conference 2019 (in partnership with AOM divisions MC and OCIS). He regularly participates in international conferences on management and supply chain such as IRMBAM, RIRL, ICEEG, EMS, and AOM ODC division conference.

JEANMICHEL SAHUT, IDRAC Business School

Dr. Jean-Michel Sahut is Professor of Finance and Entrepreneurship at IDRAC Business School, and a research fellow at University Paris-Saclay, Guyancourt, France. He teaches entrepreneurial finance, business plan, electronic payments, finance and technologies, research methodology, and serious game for engineering and management students. Previously, he was Professor at Geneva School of Business Administration, University of Applied Sciences (Ch), Associate Dean for Research at Amiens School of Management (Fr), Professor of Finance at Telecom & Management Paris Sud (Fr) and the director of the RESFIN Laboratory (Network & Finance). He has held Visiting Professorship positions at numerous universities in Canada, China, India, UK, Switzerland, Slovakia, Senegal and Tunisia. He served as an expert to the French Ministry of Education & Research, the Swiss National Foundation and the European Commission. He has received a lot of grants to finance his researches from the European Commission (FP5 and Tempus Meda), French Ministry of foreign Affairs (Cocop project), AMF of Québec, Institute of Financial Market Grant (www.theifm.org, US), Louis Leprince-Ringuet Foundation, and International Telecommunication Union, among others. He was also the Hewlett Packard chair holder on "Mobile technologies & Management" at Excelia Group. He has been a main organizer of 31 scientific national and international conferences. He has published more than 250 articles about mathematical finance, financial markets, corporate finance, startup and SME financing, electronic payment, internet banking, digital innovation and entrepreneurship in international peer review journals and five books. He has been a guest editor for special issues of Economic Modelling, Small Business Economics, Journal of Business Research, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Journal of Management & Governance, Management International, Bankers, Markets & Investors, etc. He is the editor-in-chief of Management & Prospective (academic journal created in 1936, indexed by Scopus and Fnege).