Review of recruitment and selection for leadership positions: evidence from a systematic review

Purpose Organizations seek leaders capable of providing competitive advantages in complex markets; however, recruiting leaders can be quite challenging, given that it is unclear which psychosocial characteristics are considered relevant. This study identifies the psychosocial skills and characteristics considered important in the recruitment and selection of persons for leadership positions in any given organizational context. Design/methodology/approach The protocol has been registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) database and has followed the PRISMA model. The analysis included seven databases. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to analyze the methodological quality of the included studies. Findings The systematic review results identified four articles that met the inclusion criteria, revealing nine relevant psychosocial skills and characteristics in the leaders’ recruitment process. Research limitations/implications Future research should continue to develop knowledge on this domain because the actual amount of studies are quite insufficient to provide clear guidelines about how leaders are recruited and selected for distinct organizations and contexts. Originality/value This is one of first systematic review analyzing psychosocial characteristics considered important in the recruitment and selection of persons for leadership positions.