TYPOLOGY OF LEADERSHIP MODELS AMONG THE SELF-EMPLOYED: RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EFFICIENCY OF BUSINESS PROCESSES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONS

Abstract

The aim of the article is to study the types of entrepreneurial leadership among the self-employed in the context of identifying behavioural characteristics that determine their choice of business management approaches and to correlate these leadership types with the competitiveness of their services in the recreational sector. The research is based on the assumption that the leadership style of a self-employed individual directly determines the strategic sustainability and operational efficiency of their business. The article describes the specifics of self-employment and the role of the self-employed in the development of the service sector. The development of services in the recreational field is emphasized, particularly in the context of wartime, when microbusinesses in the recreational sector are socially significant and require entrepreneurial leadership. Entrepreneurship is interpreted as a process of creating new value through initiative, innovation, risk-taking, and the ability to collaborate with stakeholders. The essence of entrepreneurial leadership in self-employment is defined, as well as the factors that determine its necessity and its connection to the quality and efficiency of business processes. The types of self-employed individuals are differentiated according to the degree of entrepreneurial leadership expressed in the service sector. Drawing on value-based management approaches, the article correlates entrepreneurial leadership with the effectiveness of managing the set of processes that create customer value for the target audience – business processes. Criteria for the efficiency of business processes in the recreational sector are identified. These serve as the foundation for the author’s typology of entrepreneurial leadership among the self-employed, which is formed based on their behavioural characteristics in relation to business process organization. The typology includes four basic types: the authentic steward, the practical organizer, the systemic innovator and the experience-creating visionary. Examples from the self-employed recreational business sector in Ukraine are used to illustrate these entrepreneurial leadership types and their business development prospects. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that it identifies the directions for the development of those entrepreneurial competencies that will contribute to the growth of the competitiveness of small businesses and the sustainable development of the region