The change in people entails a new approach both in the way of working and in the relationship with peers, in personal development, in interaction with others, in continuous learning, in openness to constructive criticism, and in accepting the commitment to the work entrusted to them. Becoming an academic leader in the Ecuadorian university context represents a great challenge (Weston et al., 2021). The demands of the globalized world, a changing environment, and competitiveness to achieve strategic advantages are part of the dynamics of the academic environment.

The appropriation of leadership models under a given reality is a fundamental task to sustain change and highlight the adhesion of collaborators. In Ecuador, some studies explain the relationship of different leadership models with student performance and academic processes within universities; however, these have not been transferred to the executive or management area of universities, a situation that demands the identification of leadership strategies that will influence the performance of academic teams (Tiwasing and Sawang, 2022).

The departments or schools are the fundamental unit in the university environment that links the different strata of the institution and should be open environments for collaboration, where the actions of an academic leader will be fundamental to influence the personal, motivational, and professional performance aspects of their collaborators. Given this, through this review, we will seek to identify leadership strategies that influence the performance of academic teams in the local Ecuadorian environment (Sykes et al., 2023).

Leadership plays a fundamental role at all levels, being of particular relevance at the local level because decisions and actions in this context directly affect the quality of life of individuals and the economic development of the nation (Singh and Chaudhary, 2023). Leadership plays a crucial role in the progress of communities in Ecuador, given that decisions taken at this level can affect both the inhabitants’ quality of life and the country’s economic development (Castellani et al., 2024).

The development of leadership skills at the local level is critical to the growth and effectiveness of communities. To achieve effective leadership at the local level, it is essential to carefully analyze the needs and opportunities present at the local level, as pointed out by Derrington and Anderson (2020). In the Ecuadorian context, the development of leadership skills at the local level requires focusing on the education and training of local leaders, as well as the generation of opportunities that allow them to improve their skills and competencies (Takmasheva and Zelinskaya, 2023).

Training and capacity building of local leaders is a fundamental aspect of community development. It is important to provide local leaders with the necessary tools to enable them to perform their roles effectively and contribute to the progress of their communities.

Training and education of local leaders are essential for the development of leadership skills at the community level. In Ecuador, according to Brooke Friley in 2024 (Brooke Friley, 2024), several programs and initiatives have been implemented to train local leaders in skills such as project management, effective communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making (Ferdiansyah et al., 2022). Programs may include workshops, courses, and seminars held in various locations throughout the country.

Opportunities for the development of leadership skills are fundamental in the academic and professional spheres. There are several opportunities for the development of leadership skills at the local level, in addition to the training and training of local leaders. In Stamatakis et al. (2023), some opportunities include participation in community development projects, management of non-governmental organizations, and intervention in decision-making processes at the local level (Snead et al., 2022).

The challenges and opportunities in the development of leadership skills at the local level are issues of great relevance today. Although there are opportunities for the development of leadership skills at the local level, several challenges that need to be overcome are identified. In Ecuador, the scarcity of financial and human resources, poor infrastructure, and lack of government support are identified as significant challenges (Trott et al., 2024).

The strengthening of pedagogical competencies in Basic Education teachers is considered essential to raise the educational level in Ecuador (Börü, 2024; Cairns et al., 2024). Improving the pedagogical competencies of elementary school teachers in Ecuador is fundamental to promote a more dynamic and enriching educational environment (Parreño and Pablo-Martí, 2024).

Providing teachers with the skills and knowledge required to effectively engage students not only increases the quality of education but also fosters a culture of constant improvement in the academic environment (Leung et al., 2021). Properly trained educators have greater abilities to adjust to different ways of learning (McDonald et al., 2024), apply novel teaching approaches, and create conducive learning environments that suit the needs of each student.

The drive to improve pedagogical competencies not only benefits teachers by fostering their professional growth and satisfaction but also positively impacts overall academic success and student development in Ecuador’s schools (Waring et al., 2022).

Moving toward improved pedagogical competence not only benefits teachers by promoting their development and job satisfaction but also positively impacts overall academic achievement and student progress in Ecuador’s educational institutions (Stylinski et al., 2021). Strengthening teachers’ pedagogical competencies has a positive impact on educational quality and the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process at the national level (Hiremath et al., 2024).

The present study used a methodological approach based on the PRISMA method (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) to ensure transparency and reproducibility in the systematic review process, complemented by bibliometric analysis using the Bibliometrix tool (Lebow-Skelley et al., 2024; López Secanell et al., 2023).

Using Bibliometrix, key metrics were analyzed such as (León and Ramos, 2022). Figure 2 shows the productivity distribution by author, institution, and country. As presented in Figure 3, the co-authorship and co-citation networks reveal the structure of collaboration.

The institutional analysis revealed that the majority of studies on transformational leadership and educational innovation in Ecuador are concentrated in universities located in the coastal region, particularly Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI), Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (UEES), and Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL). In contrast, institutions from the Andean region, such as Universidad de Cuenca and Universidad Técnica del Norte, contribute to a lesser extent. No records were identified from Amazonian institutions, exposing a territorial imbalance in the academic production on the topic. This concentration suggests unequal development of leadership research and educational innovation practices across regions. Therefore, it is necessary to promote interregional collaboration and strategic incentives to strengthen academic leadership capacities throughout the Ecuadorian territory.

They represent topics that are dense in development but have low centrality, i.e., they are well researched but not relevant to the field in general. In this graph, the theme “educational innovations, children with disabilities, disability” is in this quadrant (Murillo-Rodriguez and Mora-Rivera, 2024).

These are topics that have high centrality and density, being very relevant and with a high level of development (Hafiar et al., 2024). This graph shows no themes in this quadrant. Here are the topics with low centrality and low density, which are in initial development or in decline. In the graph, the “students” theme is in this quadrant. These are topics with high centrality but low density. They are relevant but with less development in the field. In the graph, the themes “teaching, decision-making, Ecuador” are in this quadrant (Agra et al., 2019).

Regarding the interpretation of the thematic clusters generated by the bibliometric analysis, different levels of development and conceptual relevance were identified. The theme “educational innovations, children with disabilities” is located in the quadrant of high density but low centrality, which indicates that it is a well-developed line but little connected to other topics in the field, i.e., specialized. On the other hand, the cluster “teaching, decision-making, Ecuador” is located in the quadrant of high centrality and low density, which positions it as a basic developing topic that, although fundamental, still lacks conceptual and empirical depth. The presence of the “students” cluster in the low density and low centrality quadrant suggests that this topic, although present, is in an incipient or receding phase. Finally, it is important to highlight the absence of clusters in the high centrality and high density quadrant, which denotes the lack of consolidated driving themes in the field of transformational leadership applied to educational innovation in Ecuador. These findings indicate a still fragmented and emerging field, with opportunities to develop more robust theoretical frameworks and interdisciplinary lines of research.

Transformational leadership is essential for fostering educational innovation in Ecuador; yet its efficacy is contingent upon contextual elements such as policy endorsement, institutional framework, and teacher involvement (Díaz-Restrepo et al., 2023).

Ecuador has progressed in implementing transformational leadership models; nonetheless, it is crucial to tackle the structural problems that hinder their effectiveness for enduring educational reform (Christensen et al., 2020).

Future research ought to concentrate on quantitative evaluations and cross-national comparisons to cultivate a comprehensive grasp of transformational leadership’s potential within Ecuador’s dynamic educational environment (Mystakidis, 2019).

Case studies from various Latin American nations demonstrate that investment in leadership development and digital learning infrastructure can markedly improve the efficacy of transformational leadership in education. Ecuador may gain from regional cooperation and the exchange of best practices to enhance its educational leadership strategy (Herrera and Aros, 2023).

Terms such as multi-disciplinary teams, professional training, problem-solving, and cooperative learning highlight the focus on collaborative and multidisciplinary methods to improve educational quality (Mantilla and Quinche, 2021).

The Figure 4 consists of a word cloud that represents key terms and recurring concepts in the literature related to education and associated topics, such as transformational leadership and educational innovation in Ecuador (Arrubla-Hoyos and Solano-Barliza, 2024). The frequency of each term is reflected in the size of the words so that the larger ones are those that appear with greater regularity in the studies analyzed.

Educational innovations, teaching, and education are the largest and, therefore, the most frequent terms. This indicates that the focus on educational innovation and teaching practices is central to the literature (Zambrano et al., 2022).

Children with disabilities and decision-making are also large, suggesting that there is considerable interest in the inclusion of students with disabilities and decision-making in educational settings.

Engineering education and Ecuador reached outstanding size, suggesting that research on engineering education and its context in Ecuador are important topics (Domínguez et al., 2020).

Training and disability are also frequent, indicating that teacher training and inclusion of people with disabilities are recurring themes.

There are terms associated with technologies and teaching methodologies, such as e-learning, augmented reality, social media, and digital education. This suggests an interest in the use of digital tools and advanced technologies in education (Araya-Pizarro and Verelst, 2023).

The research examined highlights that transformational leadership directly influences teachers’ motivation, student engagement, and institutional development (Mäkitalo et al., 2020). Leaders who empower educators, promote professional growth, and cultivate a culture of creativity facilitate sustainable educational advancement.

Numerous studies indicate that transformational leadership in Ecuador has resulted in enhancements in curriculum design, technology integration, and collaborative learning approaches (Zhong et al., 2021). Nonetheless, further empirical study is required to assess the long-term impacts of these leadership strategies on student outcomes.

Although transformational leadership presents a viable framework for educational reform, its execution in Ecuador encounters numerous structural and systemic obstacles (Palov and Balint-Kurti, 2021). Recurring issues in the literature include constrained financial resources, inadequate technological infrastructure, and reluctance to change.

The adoption of innovative teaching methods at several educational institutions is impeded by bureaucratic limitations and inadequate policy support (Xu et al., 2022). These problems underscore the need for comprehensive policy frameworks that promote the implementation of transformational leadership principles across many levels of the education system.

The review indicates that the efficacy of transformational leadership in educational innovation relies on institutional and governmental backing (Wang et al., 2022). Policies that advocate for leadership training programs, professional development efforts, and digital transformation are crucial for optimizing the effectiveness of educational leaders.

This systematic review confirms the relevance and influence of transformational leadership in fostering educational innovation processes within the Ecuadorian context. The evidence compiled highlights that leadership practices grounded in motivational inspiration, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and the creation of shared institutional visions have facilitated the adoption of emerging pedagogical methodologies, the integration of educational technologies, and the promotion of inclusive teaching models. However, academic production remains concentrated in certain coastal institutions, evidencing a geographic imbalance and the need to strengthen research capacities in underrepresented regions, particularly in the Andean and Amazonian areas.

From an applied perspective, the results suggest that educational policy should prioritize the design of national programs for the development of transformational leadership, especially among middle and senior academic management. These programs must incorporate strategies for sustainable management, data-driven decision-making, and participatory leadership models. Likewise, institutional plans should incentivize the formation of inter-institutional and interdisciplinary research clusters that promote equitable innovation practices and the co-construction of knowledge in public and private higher education institutions.

Finally, future research must overcome the limitations observed in the current literature by incorporating longitudinal designs, regional comparative studies, and mixed methods approaches that allow for a deeper understanding of the systemic impact of leadership practices. Special attention should be paid to evaluating the effectiveness of leadership training interventions and their contribution to measurable improvements in student performance, institutional innovation capacity, and overall educational equity in Ecuador.