The Determinants of Participatory Leadership Style: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Participatory leadership style has gained importance as organizations increasingly depend on employee knowledge, collaboration, and involvement in decision-making. However, existing research has focused primarily on its consequences, while evidence concerning the factors shaping its adoption and practice remains fragmented. This systematic review identifies, classifies, and synthesizes the determinants of participatory leadership style across organizational and cultural contexts. Following PRISMA 2020, searches were conducted in March 2026 across Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, PsycINFO, Business Source Complete, and ABI/INFORM for peer-reviewed English-language articles published between 2016 and 2025. The database searches identified 256 records; 136 were excluded following title and abstract screening, and 120 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. After excluding 86 articles, 34 studies were retained for narrative and thematic synthesis. The evidence was organized into five interrelated domains: leader-level; follower- and team-level; organizational; cultural and institutional; and task- and situation-related determinants. Participatory leadership was most likely to emerge when leaders were willing and able to share influence, employees possessed the competence and confidence to contribute, teams demonstrated trust and psychological safety, and organizational systems supported consultation. Cultural expectations concerning authority and situational factors such as task complexity, urgency, risk, and information distribution further shaped the scope of participation. The review concludes that participatory leadership is a multilevel and context-dependent practice rather than a fixed personal style. The resulting framework provides a structured basis for leadership development, organizational design, and future multilevel research.