*3.2.1 Regional distribution*

This section evaluates the sample literature's geographical distribution. The examination showed the studies were only in 23 nations, 22 were cross-country, and 12 were non-regional (**Table 2**). Due to insufficient national studies, we used Ascani


#### **Table 1.**

*An analytical framework in literature.*

et al.'s [36] continental classification [36]. China has the most articles in our sample, with five studies (6.5%). South Korea and Pakistan each had 4 studies (4%) on public and private firms integrating sustainable innovation via leadership [37].

Taiwan and South Africa were studied three times, whereas the remainder were studied fewer than twice. Some scholars conducted cross-country studies to evaluate economic and cultural disparities (22 studies). A study by Stremersch et al. [38] and Coun et al. [39] using samples from different nations found that transformational leadership boosts employee and organizational creativity. Studies can give researchers basic and crucial insights into a topic's cultural, social, and political dimensions.

We also categorized the sample literature by its substance. Asia ranked first in the number of studies with 25 articles (e.g. [10, 40]), followed by Europe with 8 articles [41]. Despite its socioeconomic impact, only one US study exists. This suggests that the link between leadership and innovation in industrialized and emerging countries needs greater examination.

### *3.2.2 Leading research*

Scopus' citation matrix shows **Table 3**'s most influential research studies for leadership innovation link experts. Hoch and Dulebohn [50] has the most citations with 168. Leadership characteristics affecting innovation performance were studied. It also showed the relevance of leadership in helping organizations improve the team and organizational creativity and innovation. The study surveyed 184 Koreans. Another notable research with 79 citations is Kang J.H., [51]. This study studied the correlation between the founding CEO's transformational/transactional leadership and the

