Analysis of management leadership in educational and business institutions with a STEM focus: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18800/360gestion.202611.007Keywords:
Leadership, STEM, Innovation, Educational organizationsAbstract
This review study analyzes the impact of managerial leadership on the promotion of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs in educational and organizational settings. Twenty-nine recent (2020-2025), open-access empirical studies from 10 databases were analyzed to assess this leadership capacity in the context of STEM initiatives. The results indicate a notable geographic concentration in Asia and North America, with a predominance of qualitative approaches focused on the role of the principal as the object of study. The most researched variable is “leadership,” and the study concludes that managerial leadership is fundamental to achieving success, innovation, and inclusion in STEM. The urgent need for further research on less analyzed aspects and greater attention to female leadership is emphasized to contribute to a more equitable vision of the sector.
Downloads
References
Akcan, A. T., Yıldırım, B., Karataş, A. R. & Yılmaz, M. (2023). Teachers’ views on the effect of STEM education on the labor market. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1184730
Alderman, J., Forsyth, J., Griffy-Brown, C. & Walton, R. C. (2022). The benefits of hiring a STEM CEO: decision making under innovation and real options. Technology in Society, 71, 102064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.102064
AWSome Women Summit LATAM. (2026). Un día para impulsar la voz, el talento y el impacto de las mujeres en tecnología. https://www.awswomensummitlatam.com/home.html
Azukas, M. E., Dexter, S. & Gibson, D. (2025). An exploratory study of simulations for leadership development in the principal pipeline. Education Sciences, 15(6), 770. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060770
Babalola, O. O., Du Plessis, Y. & Babalola, S. S. (2023). Power of shared success: how can sharing success and roles of others motivate African women in STEM? International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 24, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-023-09583-1 ¬¬¬¬¬¬
Bermúdez, V. N., Salazar, J., García, L., Ochoa, K. D., Pesch, A., Roldan, W., Soto-Lara, S., Gomez, W., Rodríguez, R., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Ahn, J. & Bustamante, A. S. (2023). Designing culturally situated playful environments for early STEM learning with a Latine community. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 65, 205-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.06.003
Coluccio, G., Muñoz-Herrera, S., Adriasola, E. & Escobar, E. (2024). Leadership development in women STEM students: the interplay of task behaviors, self-efficacy, and university training. Behavioral Sciences, 14(11), 1087. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14111087
Contreras, G., Mateos de Cabo, R. & Gimeno, R. (2025). Women who LinkedIn: the gender networking gap among executives. European Management Journal, 43(3), 383-398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2024.10.003
Cosío-Salazar, B. L. (2024). El liderazgo directivo como potenciador del trabajo colaborativo en el desarrollo de proyectos STEAM. LATAM. Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, 5(1), 336-354. https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v5i1.1591
Denaker, S. L. (2020). Transformational leadership in STEM-Focused high schools. Fisher Digital Publications. https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/education_etd/435/
Dickson, M. & Alharthi, M. (2025). “What do I wish I had known? Don’t expect the road to be full of flowers”: advice from female STEM leaders in the GCC countries to younger women working in STEM fields. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101502-101502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101502
Domènech-Casal, J. (2020). Diseñando un simulador de ecosistemas. Una experiencia STEM de enseñanza de dinámica de los ecosistemas, funciones matemáticas y programación. Revista Eureka sobre Enseñanza y Divulgación de las Ciencias, 17(3), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.25267/rev_eureka_ensen_divulg_cienc.2020.v17.i3.3202
Gartner. (2026). Delivering actionable, objective insight to executives and their teams. https://www.gartner.com/en
Geiger, V., Beswick, K., Fraser, S. & Holland-Twining, B. (2023). A model for principals’ STEM leadership capability. British Educational Research Journal, 49(5), 900-924. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3873
Ghamrawi, N., Shal, T. & Ghamrawi, N. A. R. (2024). Leadership development in virtual communities of practice: the case of school principals from the GCC region. Education and Information Technologies, 29(17), 23897-23916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12784-y
Harymawan, I., Setiawan, D., Adhariani, D. & Paramayuda, A. A. (2025). Innovation over ESG Performance? The Trade-Offs of STEM leadership in top sustainable firms. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 18(7), 372. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm18070372
Hatisaru, V., Falloon, G., Seen, A., Fraser, S., Powling, M. & Beswick, K. (2023). Educational leaders’ perceptions of STEM education revealed by their drawings and texts. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 54(8), 1437-1457. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739x.2023.2170290
Hsieh, T.-S., Kim, J.-B., Wang, R. R. & Wang, Z. (2021). Educate to innovate: STEM directors and corporate innovation. Journal of Business Research, 138, 229-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.022
Kong, D., Liu, B. & Zhu, L. (2023). Stem CEOs and firm digitalization. Finance Research Letters, 58, 104573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2023.104573
Li, Y., Zeng, D., Qi, B. & Sun, Y. (2023). The impact of principal curriculum leadership on students’ modernity: moderated chain mediation effect. Sustainability, 15(17), 12779. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712779
Martínez-Gómez, R., Gutiérrez-Lillo S., Bravo-Villarroel K. & Peña-Ramírez, C. (2022). Experiencias y estrategias de mujeres en STEM en cargos de liderazgo e híbridos en el sector TI. 360: Revista de Ciencias de la Gestión, 7(7). https://doi.org/10.18800/360gestion.202207.007
McClintock, C., Taylor, O., Smith Byrd, G., Mack, K., McKayle, C., Winter, K. & Durham, L. (2021). Culturally responsive leadership development for HBCU STEM faculty. The Journal of Negro Education, 90(3), 265-276. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370063817_Culturally_Responsive_Leadership_Development_for_HBCU_STEM_Faculty
Moreno, B., Muñoz, M., Cuellar, J., Domancic, S. & Villanueva, J. (2018). Revisiones Sistemáticas: definición y nociones básicas. Revista Clínica de Periodoncia, Implantología y Rehabilitación Oral, 11(3), 184-186. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0719-01072018000300184
Murphy, S. (2023). Leadership practices contributing to STEM education success at three rural Australian schools. The Australian Educational Researcher, 50(4), 1049-1067. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-022-00541-4
Nedelko, Z. & Potocan, V. (2021). Sustainability of organizations: the contribution of personal values to democratic leadership behavior focused on the sustainability of organizations. Sustainability, 13(8), 4207. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084207
Paksi, V., Tardos, K., Takács, J., Suhajda, C. J., Macanczová, J., Bojnec, Š. & Kobolák, J. (2025). Gender equality barriers in agriculture and life sciences in central european universities. Social Inclusion, 5-13. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.10086
Pérez Martell, R. & Caja, C. (Eds.). (2019). Los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible. J.M Bosch. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv14t4706.8
Raj, A., Tasaloti, M., Ngadiron, S. & Cloyd, J. (2025). Leading STEM Success: The Role of School Principals in Advancing Science and Mathematics Through Instructional Leadership. International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, 8(3), 545-557. https://doi.org/10.53894/ijirss.v8i3.6571
Ralebese, M. D., Jita, L. C. & Badmus, O. T. (2025). Perceptions and practices of principals: examining instructional leadership for curriculum reform. Frontiers in Education, 10, 3-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1591106
Ramezan, C. A. (2025). Understanding the chief information security officer: qualifications and responsibilities for cybersecurity leadership. Computers & Security, 125, 104363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2025.104363
Rondon, R., Maciel, C. & Guzman, I. R. (2023). Investigation on Gender and Leadership in STEM in Higher Education: Methodology Design. Interfases, (18), 85-94. https://doi.org/10.26439/interfases2023.n018.6611
Sariakin, S., Yeni, M., Usman, M. B., Mare, A. S., Munzir, M. & Saleh, M. (2025). Fostering a productive educational environment: the roles of leadership, management practices, and teacher motivation. Frontiers in Education, 10, 4-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1499064
Schmitt, M. & Wilkesmann, U. (2020). Women in Management in STEM: Which Factors Influence the Achievement of Leadership Positions? International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 12(3), 328-352. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347733717_Women_in_Management_in_STEM_Which_Factors_Influence_the_Achievement_of_Leadership_Positions?enrichId=rgreq-ddcfab6163d426444d9a6b730811ce9f-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzM0NzczMzcxNztBUzo5NzE5NDQ5Nzk1OTkzNjFAMTYwODc0MTE0OTIyMw%3D%3D&el=1_x_3
She Loves Data. (2026). Advancing women in the age of AI. https://www.shelovesdata.com/
Simmons, V., Kogan, G., Boyle, D. M. & O’Hara, R. C. (2024). STEM designation for accounting programs: insights from accounting department directors. Journal of Accounting Education, 69, 100919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccedu.2024.100919
Wieselmann, J. R., Roehrig, G. H., Ring-Whalen, E. A. & Meagher, T. (2021). Becoming a STEM-focused school district: administrators’ roles and experiences. Education Sciences, 11(12), 805. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11120805
Women in Tech Network. (2026). Women in tech global conference 2026 virtual-first. https://www.womentech.net/women-tech-conference








