The Impact of Sustainable Leadership on Sustainable Innovation in the SME Sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP): The Mediating Role of Internal Marketing in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

The article under study examines the complex connection between sustainable leadership and sustainable innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Trying to incorporate the idea of sustainability in their operations, SMEs confront enormous challenges that force the business enterprises to operate in environments that are not conducive with regard to awareness, limited resources, weak political systems and policy environments, among others, restricting their capability to pursue meaningful sustainability practices. The research design is a cross-sectional study, which relies on quantitative research design to determine the mediating effect of internal marketing to enhance sustainable innovation activities in SMEs. The findings suggest that sustainable leadership positively affects sustainable innovation and successful internal marketing is a necessary pushing power in the specified relationship. The research is pertinent to the research literature on the role of sustainable leadership and internal marketing in enabling SMEs to be innovative and in accordance with the global sustainability goals. The study acknowledges the constraints in terms of the geographic scope and the perspective of the stakeholders, and the future research should focus on a variety of leadership styles and the general demographic considerations. This study offers realistic implications to stakeholders who want to enable sustainable development in the SME sector through awareness creation and favorable policies.

Keywords:

Sustainable Leadership, Sustainable Innovation, Internal Marketing, SMEs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sustainability, SDGs