From neuromanagement to performance: a systematic review of the motivational, relational, and psychosocial mechanisms of leadership

Abstract

This article reports a systematic review aimed at clarifying how “leadership??, examined through a neuromanagement lens, translates into organizational performance through motivational, relational/collective, and well-being mechanisms. Despite a substantial body of research, evidence remains conceptually fragmented: leadership–performance associations are widely documented, yet the transmission processes and boundary conditions—especially across cultures and contemporary work arrangements—are often addressed in a piecemeal manner.

Following PRISMA principles, a structured retrieval strategy was implemented in Scopus by combining four complementary sub-domains (neuroscience/cognition, leadership, motivation/well-being, and performance), complemented with foundational theoretical sources and a targeted set of highly cited, highly relevant, and recent articles. This process yielded an initial corpus of 3,943 documents, from which a thematic synthesis was developed.

Findings converge toward a multi-path explanatory architecture: (i) motivational levers (autonomy, meaningfulness, engagement), (ii) relational mechanisms (leader–member exchange quality, affective commitment), (iii) collective mechanisms (trust, psychological safety, coordination), and (iv) a sustainability channel centered on stress, burnout, and resilience resources. The article proposes an integrative conceptual model that distinguishes robust from contingent relationships and outlines a research agenda focused on multi-level empirical validation of the model.

JEL Classification : M41

Paper Type : Theoretical Research