Abstract
It is generally accepted that the entrepreneurs, who provide effective leadership, enhance organisational performance and ultimately their success. However, there has been a little empirical evidence to support the relationship between leadership and performance, especially within the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) context in Malaysia. The current study, therefore, intended to examine the relationships among the three organisational components; namely leadership, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and organisational performance. The study also observed the similarities and differences in the leadership behaviours displayed by entrepreneurs based upon their gender, company size and types of industry. A quantitative survey was conducted with 283 entrepreneurs or managers of SMEs in Malaysia. The results revealed that both transformational and transactional leadership behaviours were significantly related to entrepreneurial orientation and in turn the entrepreneurial orientation was also positively linked to organisational performance (which was measured by profitability and growth). T-Test results also indicated significant differences in leadership behaviours among leaders of company's based on size and type of industry.
