Unleashing Strategic Leadership Potential: Embracing Stewardship Theory for Strategy Execution and Organizational Growth

Abstract

In today’s dynamic and competitive business landscape, effective strategy execution is crucial for organizations to achieve their goals and sustain growth. However, conventional top-down, control-based leadership approaches often fall short of addressing the complexities of strategy implementation, prompting a search for alter-native frameworks. This conceptual paper employs a qualitative research framework, utilizing a comprehensive approach that combines literature review, emic perspective integration, synthesis of findings, and critical analysis. Drawing insights from stewardship theory and related literature, the findings reveal a distinctive leadership structure emphasizing employee empowerment, trust building, collaborative communication, and shared strategic leadership. Proposing an integrated leadership framework for strategy execution rooted in stewardship theory principles, the study advocates for a departure from conventional top-down control. This framework offers a structured approach for leaders, fostering innovation, commitment, and success in the pursuit of strategic objectives. The article concludes with suggestions for future studies, highlighting the need for contextual analysis and longitudinal studies to further enhance our understanding of effective leadership in strategy execution.