The Role of the Inclusive Leader in Driving Innovation: An Example of a Teal Organisation

Abstract

The role of the leader is to create change and indicate the direction in which the organisation should go. Leader is the one who inspires, creates the organisational culture and builds emotional relationships that result in a much more effective company. His or her activity also influences the level of innovation in the company - the more inspired a co-worker perceives a leader and the greater his or
her capabilities and freedom of action, the greater the chance of creating newer or even revolutionary solutions. The author's research has shown that the role of a leader in an innovative organisation cannot consist only in creating and promoting a vision, and then inspiring others to make it a reality. It can be concluded that the period of feisty and charismatic visionary leaders is slowly passing into oblivion, and their place is being taken by leaders who are able to discover and unleash the creative potential of the entire team in their talented colleagues. Amidst the evolving landscape of businesses, there is a growing focus on identifying key traits of leadership essential for effective organizational change. It is advocated that every organization should draw on these traits to innovate its employee resources. The presented results show the results of four years of research within the framework of the project entitled Teal Organisations: developing self-management and entrepreneurial culture in the age of Economy 4.0. The research shows how the
understanding of innovation, the role of leadership has changed over several years and what research gaps are emerging. The research targeted micro and small enterprises in the family business sector. Insights from the third stage conducted in 2023 shed light on the qualities and competencies of leaders. The study’s findings highlight that leadership fosters better team outcomes through enhanced decision-making and collaboration. Our research shows, that leaders are required to acquire, develop and refine the skills of facilitating the work of a team to effectively and continuously generate innovation. The leader must master several skills, i.e. knowing the tools of creative team work, allowing the free flow of information, the ability to integrate ideas in order to create a new, better idea, so that the valuable ones do not get diluted and are qualified for further innovative work through well-considered decisions.