Sustainable project success through entrepreneurial leadership: insights from big data analytics, IPMA, and NCA integration

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) on project success (PS) through the mediating roles of big data analytics (BDA), team reflexivity (TR), team innovation culture (TIC), and team entrepreneurial passion (TEP). Using importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) and necessary condition analysis (NCA), this study provides complementary insights beyond traditional partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), highlighting the relevance of these advanced analytical techniques. Data were collected from 422 IT company executives in Peru through a survey-based approach. Analyses were conducted using SmartPLS 4. Results show that EL significantly and positively influences PS and is also a necessary condition for achieving high PS levels, underlining its strategic role in project-based organizations. Moreover, BDA, TR, TIC, and TEP mediate this relationship, reinforcing EL’s effect on project outcomes. This study contributes to the literature by clarifying the mechanisms through which EL drives PS and emphasizing the importance of EL in IT-driven contexts. The integration of IPMA and NCA offers methodological innovation, enhancing the understanding of EL’s role in project performance and setting this research apart from previous studies.