Democratic Leadership as a Driver of Creativity, Engagement, and Performance in UAE Universities

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are under growing pressure to improve organisational performance in line with government policies that prioritise quality, innovation, and the development of human capital. Despite these goals, hierarchical leadership styles are still common at many UAE colleges, which restricts employee involvement, participation, and creativity. To address the lack of attention given to democratic leadership in the context of higher education in the United Arab Emirates, this review paper aims to investigate the role of democratic leadership on job performance through mediating roles of creativity, engagement, and creative conduct. To create a conceptual framework that explains the links between leadership and performance, the review study synthesises current theoretical and empirical studies, drawing on participatory and behavioural leadership views. The results show that democratic leadership improves academic staff members' job performance by encouraging psychological safety, teamwork, creativity, and innovation. The study suggests integrating participatory leadership techniques into leadership development programs and institutional governance. To better understand democratic leadership mechanisms and investigate hybrid leadership approaches in various higher education contexts, future research should use empirical and longitudinal techniques.