Strategic leadership in SMEs : the mediating roles of corporate entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in organizational performance

This study explored the relationship between strategic leadership and organizational performance, with a particular emphasis on the mediating roles of corporate entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Korea. A cross-sectional survey design was employed that targeted SMEs with more than three years of operational experience. Of the 532 questionnaires distributed, 112 valid responses were obtained and analyzed using regression analysis. The findings indicated that strategic leadership positively influenced both corporate entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, each of which, in turn, contributed to improved organizational performance. This study also empirically differentiated entrepreneurial behavior into corporate entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship and confirmed that the latter significantly influenced the former. By clarifying the conceptual boundaries between intrapreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship and providing empirical evidence of their dynamic interplay, this study offers a novel theoretical contribution to entrepreneurship research in SMEs. The results underscored the importance of strategic leadership in activating both individual- and organization-level entrepreneurship as critical mechanisms for enhancing organizational performance. These insights have practical implications for establishing sound strategic leadership practices that foster innovative and entrepreneurial behaviors, ultimately leading to organizational performance.