Our colleagues at IIC Partners have released their latest insights on Leadership and Team Performance Strategies for Executives:

​Effective leadership is critical to realising talent potential and achieving organisational goals. Since the pandemic, the way leaders and teams operate has undergone a profound transformation. 

To navigate this evolving landscape, executive leaders must review their approaches and adopt strategies backed by data. Christine Hayward, Executive Director of IIC Partners comments, “We are proud to summarise five of the most recent research papers that highlight key insights and approaches leaders should be implementing for their teams to excel and thrive”.

This review explores critical findings on empowering and engaging leadership styles, the relationship between gender and leadership performance, managing virtual teams, and the benefits of humility. Each study provides actionable recommendations that can help leaders cultivate high-performing, resilient, and motivated teams.

1) Influence of Empowering Leadership on Employee Innovation

This paper examines the effect of empowering leadership styles on employee innovation. Researchers found that when leaders employ empowering behaviours — such as participative decision-making and clear communication — there is a significant positive impact on employee satisfaction, innovation, and creativity. Empowering leadership supports employees with planning and developing career pathways, providing continuous learning opportunities, and delegating authority for key tasks. Shifting from centralisation to empowerment can lead to improved employee satisfaction and an innovative culture.

2) Teamwork, Leadership, and Gender 

This paper examines the relationship between gender and leadership performance within academia. Findings revealed that female-led teams outperform male-led teams in academic performance. The improvement in team performance under female-led teams was attributed to a stronger focus on cooperation and mentoring. In addition, female leaders tend to prioritise team success over their own performance, indicating a more altruistic leadership style. However, despite female-led teams having better outcomes than their male counterparts, female leaders often receive lower evaluations from male team members, reflecting persistent gender discrimination. These findings underscore the effectiveness of female leadership and the need to address ongoing biases in team settings. 

3) Leadership and Virtual Team Performance: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

This paper analyses the impact of relationship-focused and task-focused leadership styles on virtual teams. Researchers found that both leadership styles are important in addressing the unique challenges of virtual collaboration. Relationship-focused leadership improves effectiveness for large virtual teams and teams created for short-term projects (ad hoc) emphasising the importance of building and maintaining effective connections. In contrast, task-focused leadership is more effective for teams that work together for longer periods (intact teams). With established relationships, leaders can dedicate more time to optimising task management and less time to meetings and team-building activities. These results show that different leadership styles and operational formats are needed according to the team context.

4) The Role of Humility in Leadership 

This research demonstrates that leader humility significantly impacts team dynamics and performance by reducing negative interactions within the team. Humility, in this context, refers to a leader’s ability to acknowledge their limitations, appreciate others’ contributions, and remain open to feedback and learning. Reducing negative dynamics fosters stronger collaboration, enhancing both team performance and long-term success. These findings suggest that organisations should cultivate humility in leaders by fostering a learning-oriented culture, selecting leaders with a growth mindset, and providing leadership development programs. This helps them effectively manage internal social relationships, improve proactive team performance, and address interpersonal challenges within teams.

5) The Impact of Engaging Leadership on Employee Engagement and Team Effectiveness

This study examines how engaging leadership influences team effectiveness and employee engagement. Engaging leadership is defined as a leader who inspires, empowers, and connects their team. At the individual level, leaders perceived as inspiring and supportive enhance employees’ psychological capital (PsyCap), which includes self-efficacy, optimism, resilience, and adaptability, ultimately increasing work engagement. At the team level, engaging leadership strengthens performance feedback, trust, communication, and participation in decision-making, fostering a supportive climate that drives effectiveness. To cultivate this leadership style, organisations should invest in leadership development programs, coaching, and workshops. Here are more details on the definition of engaging leadership:

1. Inspire their teams by sharing a compelling vision and making employees feel they contribute to something meaningful.

2. Empower their teams by granting freedom, responsibility, and opportunities for development.

3. Connect their teams by encouraging collaboration and building a high team spirit.

Overall, the research offers valuable insights and recommendations that team leaders can incorporate to enhance team performance. By implementing these evidence-based practices, businesses can cultivate resilient, innovative, motivated, and high-performing employees capable of thriving in today’s dynamic environment. Staying informed about advances in leadership strategies ensures organisations can remain competitive and agile in the face of continuous change.

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IIC Partners is a top ten global executive search organisation, with HRM Search Partners as its exclusive Ireland partner. All IIC Partners member firms are independently owned and leaders in their local markets, offering tailored solutions for leadership and talent management needs.