Enhancing Organisational Agility by Means of Agile Complexity Leadership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish current knowledge regarding how organisational agility and competitive advantage could be enhanced when Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) adopt agile complexity leadership to fully exploit digital transformation. Aims(s) – The primary aim of this paper is to understand the role of agile complexity leadership in improving organisational agility and competitive advantage in SMEs during digital transformation. Secondary aims include: Identification of knowledge gaps in leadership attributes to foster organisational agility. Evaluation of research focus and methods used to date. Exploration of agile complexity leadership as a model for optimising performance in agile organisations. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was conducted using the Web of Science Database from 1992 to 2023 using the keywords complexity, complexity science, complexity leadership, agile, agile leadership. Initially, 62 journal articles were listed. Abstracts were reviewed to see if they are valuable and related to how agile complexity leadership enhances organisational agility, in effective digital transformation for SMEs—the final sample comprised 13 journal articles and four books. Findings – Three major findings are identified: significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the leadership attributes required for optimisation of organisational agility because it is related to business sustainability instead of traditional short-term production objectives; the focus of research to date has been reliant on quantitative methods often employed with samples that are not statistically representative; the concept of complexity leadership has been relatively neglected as a potential effective leadership model to optimise performance in SMEs. Limitations of the study – The study acknowledges limitations in its approach due to reliance on literature, which may have biases. Future research should include empirical studies to validate findings and expand understanding of agile complexity leadership in SMEs. Originality/value – This paper provides novel insights into the intersection of organisational agility, and leadership regarding digital transformation within SMEs. It is valuable to scholars, business leaders, and practitioners interested in optimising performance through innovative leadership models in organisations.