Leadership in Evolution: Navigating Change and Inspiring Innovation
A special issue of Merits (ISSN 2673-8104).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 71
Special Issue Editors
Interests: labor market; employment; future of work; change management; resilience; innovation; sustainable development
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to submit original scientific articles for a Special Issue of Merits journal devoted to a current and important topic: “Leadership in Evolution: Navigating Change and Inspiring Innovation”.
In the face of dynamic and complex changes in the business environment, leadership is undergoing constant transformation. The digital revolution, pressure to achieve sustainable development, recurring socio-economic crises, and changing employee expectations are presenting leaders with new challenges. Traditional leadership models are losing their relevance, and the need for a paradigm shift is becoming increasingly apparent: a transition from leader–manager to leader–architect of change. In this context, leadership is no longer a static function, but a process that requires flexibility, resilience, and the ability to inspire innovation. Reflection on how to shape and develop such leadership has become one of the key inspirations for discussion among representatives of science, business practice, and politics.
The aim of this Special Issue is to create an interdisciplinary platform for scientific discussion on the evolution of leadership and its role in managing change, supporting creativity, and innovation. We invite researchers, practitioners, and government representatives from various disciplines, sectors, and methodological approaches to submit theoretical, empirical, and practical articles, case studies, and scientific communications.
We encourage you to submit your applications and participate in an academic discussion on the future of leadership in times of change and innovation. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- New leadership models: adaptive, transformational, distributed, servant, and digital.
- Leaders' strategies for dealing with uncertainty, disruption, and organizational change.
- The role of leadership in shaping a culture of innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.
- Leadership in the context of digitalization, artificial intelligence, and remote work.
- Cross-cultural and global perspectives on contemporary leadership practices.
- Leadership and sustainable development: steering organizations toward responsible innovation.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Kamila Radlinska
Dr. Agnieszka Lisowska
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Merits is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- adaptive leadership
- organizational performance
- digital economy
- competitiveness
- uncertainty
- resilience
- knowledge management
- innovation
- creativity
- sustainability
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