The Drivers of Technological Eco-Innovation—Dynamic Capabilities and Leadership

Abstract

In the paper, a theoretical framework that combines the multidimensional conceptualization of dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring) with two leadership styles (transactional and transformational) and two types of eco-innovation (incremental and radical) was developed and empirically tested. The purpose of this study is to answer the key question: how different leadership styles influence the potential of dynamic capabilities to generate ecological changes. The research examining the theoretical framework was quantitative and was based on a deliberately selection of the sample, which included 54 of the most evo-innovative Polish companies. The results indicate that transformational leadership moderates the positive relationship between seizing capability and both incremental and radical technological eco-innovation, whereas transactional leadership moderates the positive relationship between reconfiguring capability and both types of analyzed changes. This paper contributes to the development of the literature by integrating three theoretical concepts, showing the importance of a given leadership style as a factor enhancing the potential of dynamic capabilities for the development of technological eco-innovation. Moreover, the study may be a contribution to a broader discussion on the specifics of eco-innovative activity and its behavioral conditions.