Developments and trends in research on board leadership: a systematic literature review

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic literature review of 139 articles on board leadership that were published in business and management journals since 1980s. Journal names, author country affiliations, topics and focus levels, theories, empirical contexts, and methodologies are presented and analysed. We also assemble and analyse this data thematically in order to identify and frame developments and trends in researchers’ ideas on board leadership. This analysis provides guidance for researchers by identifying different research streams on board leadership. The analysis may also serve as basis for theory development in board leadership research that can inform policymaking and best practice recommendations.