The Role of Charismatic Leadership in Enhancing Organizational Sustainability: The Mediating Effects of the Grey Wolf Approach – Evidence from Private Universities in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Role of Charismatic Leadership in Enhancing Organizational Sustainability

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63841/iue31621

Keywords:

Charismatic leadership; Grey wolf approach; Organizational sustainability; Private universities; Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Abstract

This study explores the impact of charismatic leadership on organizational sustainability, emphasizing the mediating role of the “Grey Wolf” approach within the private education sector, specifically among private universities in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Employing a quantitative case study methodology, data were collected through a pre-tested structured questionnaire distributed electronically and internally to relevant participants. A total of 97 valid responses were obtained and analyzed statistically. The findings reveal that charismatic leadership, particularly its environmental sensing dimension plays a critical and decisive role in advancing organizational sustainability. Moreover, the Grey Wolf approach significantly enhances this effect as a mediating variable. These dynamics reflect a growing organizational emphasis on the efficient and effective use of available resources to achieve sustainable outcomes in increasingly competitive business environments. Based on the results, the study recommends that the administrations of the surveyed private universities prioritize the development of charismatic leadership practices and the integration of the Grey Wolf approach. These elements should be regarded as strategic assets, essential for fostering adaptability, promoting change, and addressing the evolving challenges of sustainability in modern service-oriented institutions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Najih Samin Ahmed, Department of Project Management, College of Commerce, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, IRAQ

    Dr. Najih Samin Ahmed is a Lecturer at the Project Management Department, College of Commerce, University of Sulaimani. He earned his B.Sc. degree in Business Administration from Salahaddin University, his M.Sc. in Human Resource Management from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, and his Ph.D. in Human Resource Management from Cardiff Metropolitan University, United Kingdom.

    His research primarily focuses on the impact of human resource management, organizational culture, and leadership models on individual performance. Using a qualitative approach, he examines stakeholder perspectives and experiences to contribute to a deeper understanding in these areas. He combines his academic background with practical insight to support ongoing research and development.

    In addition to his academic role, he works as a consultant for commercial companies, advising on organizational strategy, human resource development, and leadership practices. He has a strong grasp of social and educational research trends in the UK, supported by his expertise in education management. His engagement with applied social research and continuous study of Western educational contexts have strengthened his methodological skills and subject knowledge.

References

A. H. Nour, "The Role of Charismatic Leadership in Enhancing Positive Psychological Capital (A Survey Study of the Opinions of a Sample of Employees at the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussein)," M.S. thesis, Coll. Admin. Econ., Univ. Karbala, Iraq, 2022.

V. Agbakwuru, O. B. Onyenahazi, B. O. Antwi, and K. Oyewale, “The impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting on corporate financial performance,” Int. J. Res. Publ. Rev., vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 3629–3644, 2024.

Z. Barakat and L. A. Ali, "Perceived aspects of charismatic personality among university students in Tulkarm Governorate," J. Arab Amer. Univ. Res., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 108-140, 2019.

A. N. M. S. Ahmed, “Organizational Sustainability: Definition, Objectives, Importance, Types, Principles, and Dimensions,” Arab J. Arts Humanit., vol. 8, no. 3, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.21608/ajahs.2024.341695.

L. Zhang et al., "The effects of charismatic leadership on performance: Exploring key boundary conditions at multilevel," Front. Psychol., vol. 16, p. 1487886, 2025.

Z. Huang, S. Sindakis, S. Aggarwal, and L. Thomas, “The role of leadership in collective creativity and innovation: Examining academic research and development environments,” Front. Psychol., vol. 13, Art. no. 1060412, 2022.

A. Zulfqar et al., "Developing academic leaders: Evaluation of a leadership development intervention in higher education," Sage Open, vol. 11, no. 1, 2021, Art. no. 2158244021991815.

B. M. Al-Ghazali, H. M. Gelaidan, S. H. A. Shah, and R. Amjad, “Green transformational leadership and green creativity? The mediating role of green thinking and green organizational identity in SMEs,” Front. Psychol., vol. 13, Art. no. 977998, 2022.

C. Salloum et al., "Winning hearts and minds: the charismatic leader's role in SME productivity," Eur. Bus. Rev., vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 494-509, 2024, doi: 10.1108/EBR-04-2023-0126.

Z. Wan, "The impact of charismatic leadership on organizational strategic goals," in Proc. 7th Int. Semin. Educ., Manag. Soc. Sci. (ISEMSS 2023), Oct. 2023, pp. 102-111, doi: 10.2991/978-2-38476-126-5_13.

J. Boeske, “Leadership towards sustainability: A review of sustainable, sustainability, and environmental leadership,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 16, p. 12626, 2023, doi: 10.3390/su151612626.

V. A. Srimulyani and Y. B. Hermanto, "Organizational culture as a mediator of credible leadership influence on work engagement: Empirical studies in private hospitals in East Java, Indonesia," Humanit. Soc. Sci. Commun., vol. 9, no. 1, p. 274, 2022, doi: 10.1057/s41599-022-01289-z.

P. M. Le Blanc, V. González-Romá, and H. Wang, “Charismatic leadership and work team innovative behavior: The role of team task interdependence and team potency,” J. Bus. Psychol., vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 333–346, 2021.

L. A. Dicke and J. S. Ott, Eds., Understanding Nonprofit Organizations: Governance, Leadership, and Management. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2023.

A. S. A. Al-Shammari et al., “Green human resource management and sustainable performance with the mediating role of green innovation: A perspective of new technological era,” Front. Environ. Sci., vol. 10, p. 901235, 2022.

Z. I. I. Al-Gharabli, “The Role of Psychological Capital as a Mediating Variable in the Relationship between Charismatic Leadership and Job Engagement: An Applied Study,” J. Contemp. Bus. Stud., vol. 9, pp. 260–300, 2020.

B. M. Bass and R. E. Riggio, Transformational Leadership. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006.

M. V. Barros et al., “Circular economy as a driver to sustainable businesses,” Clean. Environ. Syst., vol. 2, p. 100006, 2021.

M. Weber, The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. New York, NY, USA: Simon and Schuster, 2009.

P. G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2025.

T. Budur and A. Demir, “Leadership effects on employee perception about CSR in Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” Int. J. Soc. Sci. Educ. Stud., vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 184–192, 2019.

M. S. Chughtai and H. S. U. D. Khan, “Knowledge oriented leadership and employees’ innovative performance: A moderated mediation model,” Curr. Psychol., vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 3426–3439, 2024.

R. Awad, “The impact of charismatic leadership on organizational loyalty: A field study,” Arab J. Adm. Sci., vol. 28, no. 2, 2021.

T. Sy, C. Horton, and R. Riggio, "Charismatic leadership: Eliciting and channeling follower emotions," Leadersh. Q., vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 58-69, 2018.

J. Y. Seong and D. S. Hong, "Age diversity, group organisational citizenship behaviour, and group performance: Exploring the moderating role of charismatic leadership and participation in decision-making," Hum. Resour. Manag. J., vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 621-640, 2018.

C. Tufan, "The relationships between charismatic leadership and affective organizational commitment: The mediating role of work engagement," J. Manag. Econ. Res., vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 225-250, 2022.

I. A. Mawloud, "The Role of Charismatic Leadership in Establishing Totalitarian Political Systems: A Theoretical Study with a Focus on the Leadership Model of Abdul Karim Qasim," J. Secur. Polit. Stud., vol. 6, no. 2, 2023.

A. H. A. F. Al-Maghribi and M. S. Al-Nad, “The relationship between charismatic leadership and psychological capital: An applied study on employees in Iraqi university colleges in the Republic of Iraq,” Egypt. J. Bus. Stud., vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 693–717, 2016.

G. Yukl, Leadership in Organizations, 8th ed. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education, 2013.

S. Zhivkova, "Sustainability and the reasons for its adoption in the companies," Proc. CBU Econ. Bus., vol. 3, pp. 75-80, 2022.

C. Huo et al., “Linking responsible leadership and green innovation: The role of knowledge sharing and leader-member exchange,” Front. Environ. Sci., vol. 10, Art. no. 945817, 2022.

N. W. M. Z. Huwaidi and T. I. Ashry, “The impact of charismatic leadership on organizational creativity (Applied to employees of the General Tax Authority in the Governorate),” Egypt. J. Bus. Stud., vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 468–496, 2024, doi: 10.21608/alat.2024.350944.

A. Y. I. Sayed and F. A. M. A. M. Sayed, "The relationship between charismatic leadership and organizational integrity: An applied study on Mansoura University employees," Raya Int. J. Bus. Sci., vol. 3, no. 9, 2024.

R. Eatwell, “The concept and theory of charismatic leadership,” in Charisma and Fascism, London: Routledge, 2014, pp. 3–18.

I. Abdul Ghani, Sociology of Culture: Concepts and Problems from Modernity to Globalization. Beirut, Lebanon: Center for Arab Unity Studies, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-711759.

J. A. Conger and R. N. Kanungo, Charismatic Leadership in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998.

J. Paul, "The Role of Leadership in Driving Sustainable Innovation," 2024.

J. Antonakis et al., “Just words? Just speeches? On the economic value of charismatic leadership,” Manage. Sci., vol. 68, no. 9, pp. 6355–6381, 2022.

K. P. Low, “Crying wolf leadership style and ways,” Bus. J. Entrepreneurs, no. 2, pp. 51–67, 2013.

B. Shamir, R. J. House, and M. B. Arthur, "The motivational effects of charismatic leadership: A self-concept based theory," Organ. Sci., vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 577-594, 1993.

H. Wang, A. S. Tsui, and K. R. Xin, "CEO leadership behaviors, organizational performance, and employees' attitudes," Leadersh. Q., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 92-105, 2011.

I. U. Khan et al., “Role of organizational justice in linking leadership styles and academics’ performance in higher education,” Adm. Sci., vol. 13, no. 4, p. 101, 2023.

C. A. H. Ameen, “The impact of charismatic leadership on organizational culture,” Qalaai Zanist J., vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 1054–1077, 2023.

D. Teece, M. Peteraf, and S. Leih, "Dynamic capabilities and organizational agility: Risk, uncertainty, and strategy in the innovation economy," Calif. Manage. Rev., vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 13-35, 2016.

K. H. Qadir and M. Yeşiltaş, "Effect of leadership styles on organizational commitment and performance in small-and medium-sized enterprises in Iraqi Kurdistan," Soc. Behav. Pers., vol. 48, no. 9, pp. 1-12, 2020.

N. Younas et al., "Green shared vision: A bridge between responsible leadership and green behavior under individual green values," Heliyon, vol. 9, no. 11, 2023.

A. Y. Ibrahim and F. A. M. A. M. Al-Sayed, “The impact of charismatic leader behaviors on organizational integrity: An applied study of general staff employees at Mansour University,” Nile J. Bus. Legal Sci. Inf. Syst., vol. 4, no. 6, 2024.

H. J. Obaid et al., "The Impact of Different Leadership Styles on University Sustainability: A Case Study of the University of Kufa," 2025. [Online]. Available: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5168605

V. M. Sami, S. K. J. Elias, and F. Salem, "Self-leadership: An introduction to green universities. A survey study of the opinions of a sample of faculty and staff at the University of Zakho, Kurdistan Region of Iraq," J. Humanit. Univ. Zakho, vol. 12, no. 1, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.26436/hjuoz.2024.12.1.1371.

S. Mirjalili, S. M. Mirjalili, and A. Lewis, "Grey wolf optimizer," Adv. Eng. Softw., vol. 69, pp. 46-61, 2014.

A. Novawan and S. Aisyiyah, "The role of leadership in education for sustainable development curriculum reform in Indonesian higher education," in Introduction to Sustainable Development Leadership and Strategies in Higher Education, Bingley, UK: Emerald Publ., 2020, pp. 145-159.

Z. Omar and M. Yousif, "The effect of strategic behavior typology on organizational excellence: A study of the opinions of the heads of scientific departments in a number of private universities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq," Humanities J. Univ. Zakho, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 32-49, 2023.

M. Al-Sanousi, “Leadership in Arab organizations: Reality and challenges,” Contemp. Manag. J., no. 19, 2022.

A. Marsden and A. Shahtout, "International organization for standardization," Clin. Lab. Manag., pp. 271-277, 2024.

B. Jaganjac et al., “The role of organizational culture and structure in implementing sustainability initiatives,” Bus. Ethics Environ. Responsibility, 2024.

A. Singh, "Sustainability practices in business operations," Int. J. Res. Publ. Seminars, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 18-34, 2024.

M. Rahman, S. Abd Wahab, and A. S. A. Latiff, "Definitions and concepts of organizational sustainability: A literature analysis," Soc. Sustain., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 21-32, 2022.

R. J. Baumgartner and R. Rauter, “Strategic perspectives of corporate sustainability management to develop a sustainable organization,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 140, pp. 81–92, 2017.

A. Ispiryan et al., “Fostering organizational sustainability through employee collaboration: An integrative approach to environmental, social, and economic dimensions,” Encyclopedia, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 1806–1826, 2024, doi: 10.3390/encyclopedia4040119.

A. V. B. Lutzer et al., “Business management and environmental, social and corporate governance: The tripod of sustainability in organizations,” RGSA: Rev. Gestão Social Ambient., vol. 18, no. 8, p. e08563, 2024, doi: 10.24857/rgsa.v18n8-200.

M. Fischer et al., “Corporate Sustainability,” in Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st Century, Cham: Springer, 2023, pp. 35–76. [Online]. Available: https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1076221.

S. K. Nc and K. Nirmala, "Impact of triple bottom line assessment on sustainability of organization," Int. J. Res. Manag., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 01-06, 2023, doi: 10.33545/26648792.2023.v5.i2a.85.

R. V. Aguilera, D. E. Rupp, C. A. Williams, and J. Ganapathi, “Putting the S back in corporate social responsibility: A multilevel theory of social change in organizations,” Acad. Manag. Rev., vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 836–863, 2007.

K. Na-Nan et al., "Validation of an Organizational Sustainable Development Questionnaire: Exploring Dimensions and Implications," 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4591392

ISSO, Organizational Sustainability Model (OSM), 2024. [Online]. Available: https://isso.global/iscs-organizational-sustainability-model.

I. Etikan, “Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its influence on organizational reputation,” J. Public Relat., vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1–12, 2024.

M. Toussaint, P. Cabanelas, and A. Blanco-González, "Social sustainability in the food value chain: An integrative approach beyond corporate social responsibility," Corp. Soc. Responsib. Environ. Manag., vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 103-115, 2021.

E. Sedovs, T. Volkova, and I. Ludviga, "Sustainable development and strategic management-what is on the horizon in our non-ergodic world research?," Sustain. Futures, vol. 9, p. 100414, 2025.

S. A. Qalati, B. Barbosa, and S. Iqbal, “The effect of firms’ environmentally sustainable practices on economic performance,” Ekon. Istraz., vol. 36, no. 3, 2023.

B. Akkaya and A. M. Yazici, “Comparing agile leadership with biomimicry-based gray wolf: Proposing a new model,” Bus. Manag. Stud.: Int. J., vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 1455–1478, 2020.

G. Yukl, R. Mahsud, G. Prussia, and S. Hassan, "Effectiveness of broad and specific leadership behaviors," Pers. Rev., vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 774-783, 2019.

S. Rodríguez et al., "Self-regulation and students well-being: A systematic review 2010-2020," Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 4, p. 2346, 2022.

Downloads

Published

2026-01-18

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Business & Administration

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Academic Journal of International University of Erbil

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

The Role of Charismatic Leadership in Enhancing Organizational Sustainability: The Mediating Effects of the Grey Wolf Approach – Evidence from Private Universities in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Role of Charismatic Leadership in Enhancing Organizational Sustainability. (2026). Academic Journal of International University of Erbil, 3(1), 621-641. https://doi.org/10.63841/iue31621