Leadership in the Informal Economy of Jamaica: Styles, Community Impact, and Gender Dimensions

Abstract

A substantial portion of Jamaica’s workforce operates in the informal economy, yet empirical research on leadership within this sector remains limited. This study integrates economic sociology and leadership theory to examine leadership styles among informal entrepreneurs, community leadership in inner-city economies, and gender dynamics within informal markets. Using a concurrent mixed methods design with 150 participants from Kingston, St Catherine, and Montego Bay, data were collected through structured surveys, semi-structured interviews, and six months of participant observation. The results indicate that relational and transformational leadership styles predominate, with informal leaders often leveraging social capital, trust networks, and community legitimacy to navigate structural and market challenges. Women demonstrated distinct leadership strategies, emphasising relational coordination, resource-sharing networks, and cooperative problem solving to overcome systemic barriers in access to finance, market space, and formal recognition. The current findings extend leadership theory beyond formal organisational contexts, highlighting the social embeddedness, adaptability, and gendered dimensions of leadership in informal economies, and provide actionable recommendations for policy interventions aimed at supporting entrepreneurship, gender equity, and community-driven economic development in Jamaica.