Revisiting the Concept, Practices, and Challenges of Community Leadership: A Systematic Literature Review

When it comes to fostering development and addressing challenges within local communities, community leadership is a crucial contributing factor. Community leadership plays a pivotal role in promoting growth and addressing challenges within local contexts. This systematic literature review examines the key concepts, practices, and challenges associated with community leadership as presented in contemporary academic studies. Guided by the PRISMA 2020 protocol, the review employed a structured search across Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, focusing on studies published between 2004 and 2023. After a rigorous screening process, seven empirical articles were identified and synthesized thematically. The findings reveal that effective community leadership is characterized by strategic collaboration, participatory decision-making, and visionary guidance that align with Transformational Leadership, Social Capital, and Collaborative Governance frameworks. Significant challenges identified include sustainability, resilience, and inter-organizational collaboration. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of how community leadership operates within the English context and highlights key implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in promoting inclusive and adaptive leadership for sustainable community development.