Leading Innovation in Tourism and Hospitality: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing and Organizational Agility

This study aimed to investigate how innovative performance is influenced by leadership styles (transformational, entrepreneurial, participative, and empowering), knowledge sharing, and organizational agility. Additionally, it examined knowledge sharing and organizational agility as mediators between these leadership styles and innovative performance in tourism and hospitality businesses, utilizing Social Exchange Theory (SET) as the theoretical framework. A PLS-SEM analysis was performed on 1896 valid responses from employees of category (A) travel agencies and five-star hotels in Egypt using WarpPLS 7.0. The results revealed that transformational, entrepreneurial, participative, and empowering leadership styles positively impact innovative performance, knowledge sharing, and organizational agility. Additionally, the study highlighted the beneficial effects of knowledge sharing and organizational agility on innovative performance. It was also found that knowledge sharing and organizational agility partially mediate the relationship between these leadership styles and innovative performance. The study discusses both theoretical and practical implications for developing leadership skills and enhancing innovative capabilities. It adds to the existing literature on leadership, knowledge management, organizational agility, and innovation performance, particularly in service-oriented industries.