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Entrepreneurial Leadership and Collaborative Resilience: How Positive Relational Dynamics Shape Entrepreneurial Cognition in Emerging Economies

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Despite growing scholarly interest in leadership within entrepreneurial settings, little is known about how relational leadership operates in informal, resource-constrained ecosystems. This study examines how entrepreneurial leadership fosters positive relational dynamics and collaborative resilience within Ecuador’s highly informal entrepreneurial ecosystem. Drawing on entrepreneurial cognition and relational leadership theories, it investigates how entrepreneurs act as informal leaders who cultivate trust, empathy, and mutual support in the absence of formal institutional structures. Using an original mixed-method lexical–clustering design, data were collected from 880 micro and small entrepreneurs in Quito, who categorized 75 entrepreneurial attributes using a forced-choice instrument. Two dominant narratives emerged: collaborative resilience (65%), defined by empathy, adaptability, and social cohesion, and structural vulnerability (35%), marked by bureaucracy, fear, and emotional strain. Gender differences revealed that women emphasize relational stress and communal coping, while men focus on structural barriers and operational constraints. The findings extend leadership research by demonstrating how positive relational processes enable entrepreneurs to transform adversity into collective strength. The study advances relational leadership theory by revealing its cognitive and emotional foundations in nontraditional contexts. It offers policy insights for designing inclusive, trust-based ecosystems that promote psychological safety, collaboration, and sustainable entrepreneurship in emerging economies.

Source: Administrative Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/admsci15110444

Authors: Gelmar García-Vidal, Laritza Guzmán-Vilar, Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar, Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez, Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer

Institution: Universidad UTE

Language: English

Topic: Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences

Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,689