Leadership styles in rural social innovation: implications for followership and local impact

Social innovation (SI) increasingly addresses a diverse and complex array of rural development needs across Europe. A key determinant of rural SI is the effectiveness of local leadership, which often depends on leaders’ origins, motivations, and styles. This study employs a qualitative multiple-case design based on four case studies in rural Türkiye, using semi-structured interviews to capture the experiences of both leaders and followers engaged in socially innovative initiatives. Findings provide evidence that effective leadership in rural SI is shaped by interrelated elements: leader motivation, the ability to recognise opportunities and needs, and the capacity for networking and collaboration. The study also highlights the critical role of followership, showing that effective leadership emerges as a co-creative process grounded in complementarity and collaboration between leaders and followers. The results suggest that while leader origin (local or external) influences contextual knowledge and networking capacity, it is not the sole determinant of leadership effectiveness. Rather, the combination of leader origin and leadership style–whether charismatic, transformational, or shared–shapes motivation, interaction with followers, and the sustainability of social innovation practices in rural settings.