Identity leadership: a systematic literature review and critical analysis

Abstract As the significance of identity in organizations grows, particularly as diverse identities intersect and diverge, identity leadership has gained prominence as a valuable lens for understanding how leaders influence, align, and mobilize people through shared identities. However, much of its potential remains underexplored in current research. To address this gap, a review is both vital and timely to map the current empirical landscape of identity leadership and contribute to a deeper understanding of the concept. This study makes three key contributions to the leadership literature. First, it reviews existing identity leadership research to highlight the methods, contexts, and associated constructs that have shaped the field. Second, it examines why identity leadership can produce both positive and negative outcomes by identifying the underlying assumptions in current theorizing. Third, it outlines a future research agenda aimed at supporting more pluralistic and reflexive explorations of identity leadership. This review also offers several practical steps for organizations and managers to harness the advantages of identity leadership while mitigating its potential drawbacks.