Entrepreneurial leadership in Polish small and medium-sized enterprises through appreciative inquiry: Evidence from qualitative interviews

Objective: The objective of this article is to identify and understand the strengths-based mechanisms through which entrepreneurs enact entrepreneurial leadership in post-transition economies. We know that entrepreneurship research in post-transition economies often diagnoses barriers and deficits. However, we know far less about the strengths-based mechanisms through which entrepreneurs enact entrepreneurial leadership. In, this study, we explored entrepreneurial leadership in Polish small and medium enterprises through an appreciative inquiry lens, focusing on enabling experiences, resources, and aspirations. Research Design & Methods: We conducted eighteen semi-structured appreciative inquiry interviews with entrepreneurs (owners and owner-managers) from three Polish regions and three sectors (services, trade, and technology). We transcribed and analysed interviews (June-July 2025) using a hybrid thematic analysis (deductive-inductive) supported by NVivo, with attention to the discovery and dream phases of the appreciative inquiry cycle. Findings: We identified five interconnected mechanisms of entrepreneurial leadership: (1) resilience-as-learning after failure and crisis; (2) a gradual shift towards greater community legitimacy of entrepreneurship, although not uniformly across sectors; (3) relational leadership built through networks that often compensate for uneven formal institutional support; (4) proactive, place-based institutional co-creation with local stakeholders; and (5) future orientation towards innovation and sustainability, which is most visible in large-city and technology contexts. Implications & Recommendations: For educators and support organisations, appreciative inquiry offers a practical way to cultivate reflective, opportunity-oriented leadership competences. For local and national policymakers, the results indicate that strengthening peer networks and creating accessible, place-sensitive support infrastructures can amplify existing entrepreneurial strengths. Contribution & Value Added: The study advances entrepreneurial leadership scholarship by proposing a micro-meso-macro framework that links psychological resources, social capital, and institutional co-creation in a post-transition context. Methodologically, it demonstrates how appreciative Inquiry complements deficit-oriented entrepreneurship research by making visible the generative narratives and practices through which entrepreneurs sustain and develop their ventures.