LEADERSHIP THEORIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW BASED ON BIBLIOMETRIC AND CONTENT ANALYSIS METHODS

In this article, we investigated the existing knowledge of Leadership theories aiming at mapping the evolution of the main theories up to 120 years through collaborative networks. N = 3,968 publication records were extracted from Google Scholar through keyword searching, resulting in approximately one million citations. Based on these records, the study performed bibliometric analysis, including text network, citation, trend and content analysis, revealing themes in the field. The findings are helpful to scholars, students, leaders, and other practitioners, to gain a deeper understanding of the timeline, geographical spread, and development of theories. A careful literature review revealed that the scholarly research revolves mostly around (i) transformational Leadership; (ii) Contingency, and (iii) Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theories. Furthermore, the number of citations on leadership more than tripled in the last two decades and might double in the coming decades. This study also suggests recommendations for future studies