Purpose This paper aims to validate the measurement of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) in the context of innovation management and strategic entrepreneurship, and to examine the relationship between EL and the innovation process (IP). It proposes the measurement of EL and outlines the reason and the importance of EL in the IP. The study further examines whether the IP would have direct impact on innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for an explanatory and confirmatory study using a quantitative approach employing an online survey/questionnaire distributed to two groups of employees representing middle and senior management having mixed background such as finance, marketing, operations and management. The first group consists of 222 respondents spread across multiple industries, and the second group consists of 60 respondents mainly from the financial services industry to validate the measurement of the EL construct. Findings The paper provides empirical insights into the validation of EL measurement through two samples, and on the impact of EL in fostering all elements in the IP (i.e. idea generation, idea selection and development or idea conversion and idea diffusion). The paper also confirms some of the literature views on the difficulty of identifying a significant relationship between the IP and innovation performance. It suggests counterintuitively that the IP may not necessarily have a positive relationship with innovation performance. Research limitations/implications Most of the respondents were those from the financial services industry, which may have an impact on the overall model but less on the validation of the EL measurement. The research affirms the theoretical concept of the dimensions of EL and validates its measurement. The research also shows intriguing findings on the missing link between the IP and innovation performance. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to identify variables or factors that should link the influence of the IP on innovation performance so that the contribution of innovation management to competitiveness can be clearly identified. Practical implications The research validates the measurement of the EL construct, which could be used as a screening tool in measuring the EL capacity at all levels within an organization as part of its leadership development in fostering its IP. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to have a validated measurement of EL and its relationship with the IP.
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