Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in the Global South through Leadership and Management Development

A large stream of management literature has examined the link between culture and entrepreneurship – in particular, how certain cultures with ‘achievement-oriented’ values have achieved rapid economic growth (Beugelsdijk and Smeets, 2008; Beugelsdijk, Kostova and Roth, 2017; Klüppel et al., 2018), in contrast to cultures in developing countries where entrepreneurs, especially women, are held back by the interplay of tradition, culture, and patriarchy seem to conspire to subordinate their efforts (Ojediran, and Anderson, 2020) and social norms (Jayachandran, 2021).
Women entrepreneurs have been recognised in the literature as an important source of economic growth, creating new jobs for themselves and others, and providing society with innovative solutions for management and leadership development (Dabić et al., 2022). They still represent a minority of all entrepreneurs, facing gender-based barriers to starting and growing their businesses, including patriarchal structures, lack of access to formal finance mechanisms, limited mobility and access to information and knowledge networks (Ojediran and Anderson, 2020).
Yet, scholars continue to uphold the ‘Anglo-Saxon’ model as a reference for management and leadership development (Schumpeter, 1942), perpetuating notions of male-gendered entrepreneurship (Tlaiss and Kauser, 2019) framed by the North American research paradigm (Emery and Trist, 1960) – thus marginalising research on women entrepreneurship in developing countries (Tlaiss 2019, Lichy, Farquhar and Kachour, 2021). The relevance of the North American research paradigm (Emery and Trist, 1960) for the global north is indeed questionable to say the least; its

relevance to the global south is derisory, particularly in the case of women entrepreneurs.
To this end, our special issue aligns with the aims and scope of the Journal of Management Development by addressing several key themes within the realm of leadership and management development, women entrepreneurs, sustainability and digital technology in the Global South.

List of Topic Areas

• empowering women entrepreneurs in developing countries to better understand leadership and management development for fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in line with sustainability/green economy;
• the challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs in the global south, and the ways in which leadership and management development can drive economic and social development;
• gender-based barriers and support mechanisms for women entrepreneurs, leaders and managers for addressing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) issues;
• the global implications of women’s entrepreneurship in developing countries, and the need for cross-cultural understanding and management strategies in leadership training;
• the transformative impact of digital technologies on entrepreneurship, and how innovative approaches and technologies can enhance the growth and sustainability of women-led businesses;
• the role of government policies, support mechanisms and technological advancements in empowering women entrepreneurs, enabling them to develop effective strategies for organizational development.

Above all, the intention is to raise awareness of the complex challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs in developing countries, while also identifying actionable strategies for promoting their management and leadership skills, empowerment and social inclusion. By bringing together diverse perspectives and empirical evidence, we aim to inform policy debates, inspire innovative solutions and catalyse positive change in support of women’s entrepreneurship globally.

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here.
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see here.
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”.
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Closes: 30th August 2025

For more details:  https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/calls-for-papers/empowering-women-entrepreneurs-global-south-through-leadership-and-management