title: An investigation into the role of leadership and knowledge sharing on enhancing innovation capability in manufacturing small medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK food industry
Creators: name: Satiroglu, H
Publisher: name: Bath Spa University
Year: 2024

description: This research investigates leadership roles as a dynamic phenomenon and explores its causative impact on knowledge sharing and innovation in the SME Food Industry (SMEFI). Knowledge sharing (KS) is recognised as a critical stimulator for extending and fostering innovative capabilities (IC) in firms. Although scholars assert that leaders need to engage and encourage this stimulation, there are few studies which have innovative leadership roles with combination of KS and innovation capability. Also, thesis utilises qualitative inquiry to delve into lived innovation experiences to capture professionals' perceptions about leadership roles in the SMEFI.
The interpretivist phenomenological approach (IPA) method was adopted as it could facilitate the researcher's ability to deeply study and understand these people’s lived experiences. As IPA required a collection of extensive data from everyone, the current study conducted sixteen in-depth interviews with five follow-up meetings. While the follow-up interviews have been used for enriching themes, the main interviews utilised for thematic data analysis.
Main Research Question is “How do leadership roles influence knowledge sharing within SMEFIs, and how does this, in turn, influence the innovation capability of these businesses?” SMEFI Leaders are found as an adaptive, which has been reflected in a nuanced “balanced approach,” empowering employees classified as a task autonomy, and developing an employee-centred orientation. The delicate interplay of assertiveness and social assertiveness reveals the complex dynamics leaders navigate to foster a culture of knowledge sharing.
The study informs the indispensable role of leadership in nurturing internal skills, fostering KS, and propelling innovation capability forward. The findings have contributed to KS and innovation capability in the SME’s literature that leaders expect employees to not retain or hoard their expertise and eventually willingly join KS. In this regard, they welcome new knowledge (knowledge migration) and ideas as part of KS that would cause improvement and development.
SMEFI leaders presented that they have inherited limitations due to being small businesses, having a burden of food regulations, and having a limited, capable workforce. However, they still aim to benefit the most from current employees’ capabilities and knowledge. Also, the realisation of new product, service and process with combination and reconfiguration of knowledge has been captured. However, when the case is learning from errors and risk taking, SMEFI leaders have not keen on tolerating. This could have been linked to exhaustion due to limitation and not having sufficient skills. Whereas SMEFI leaders have illustrated innovative leadership roles acutely taking on multiple roles, pursuing improvement, challenging comfort zones, shifting seamlessly between situational decision- makers, inclusive collaborators, transformational influencers, and innovative promoters.
SMEFI leaders serve as orchestrators by not only distinguishing specific employee' talents but also aiming them strategically with the help KS in order to generate new values to organisation. Although the study highlights their innovative leadership role as key actors in developing internal skills and guiding SMEs towards innovation capability, inclusion of specific employees is perceived as main consideration to realise innovation.