The Role of Narcissistic Leadership in Entrepreneurship: Analysing the Innovativeness in an Entrepreneurial Setting

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in research on narcissism in the field of entrepreneurship, yet there remains a lack of comprehensive integration of these findings. This study aims to address this gap. Therefore, this study intends to investigate the role of narcissistic leadership on innovativeness within entrepreneurial settings. Students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate courses in entrepreneurship in India completed 334 valid surveys in total. The research hypotheses were evaluated through the application of structural equation modelling techniques. The analysis uncovered that the results indicate that perceived leadership narcissism significantly affects entrepreneurial intention, while entrepreneurial intention impacts entrepreneurial innovativeness. Also, it shows that opportunity recognition strengthens the positive association between perceived leadership narcissism and entrepreneurial intention. The findings contribute to understanding how narcissistic leadership styles can both facilitate and hinder innovation in dynamic business environments.