LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS AND IDENTITY WORK AMONG TRANSNATIONAL RETURNEE ENTREPRENEURS: A TYPOLOGY OF MIGRATION-INFORMED STRATEGIES IN EMERGING ECONOMIES

This study investigates the leadership dynamics and identity construction of Vietnamese transnational returnee entrepreneurs as they establish and scale ventures in their country of origin. Grounded in identity work theory, transnational migration literature, and entrepreneurial leadership frameworks, we examine how human, social, and cultural capital acquired abroad shapes post-return leadership paradigms and enables returnees to navigate emerging market institutional complexities. Employing an inductive qualitative research design comprising semi-structured in-depth interviews with 31 returnee founders across high-tech, biotechnology, manufacturing, and service sectors, we conduct systematic thematic analysis to build a multi-dimensional typology of leadership and identity strategies. The empirical findings reveal three distinct behavioral archetypes: (1) Transnational Opportunity-Seeking Innovators, who employ pragmatic, transactional leadership tailored to rapid market gap exploitation; (2) Community-Embedded Returnee Entrepreneurs, who utilize collective leadership focused on relational trust and socio-cultural anchoring; and (3) Mission-Driven Visionaries, who deploy transformative leadership aimed at institutional reform and systemic evolution. These typologies demonstrate significant intra-group heterogeneity, establishing that pre-return migration trajectories and intrinsic motivations dictate strategic leadership models. Building on these insights, the study synthesizes an integrative, motivation-based identity framework illustrating how variations in reflexive identity work drive operational leadership deployment, credibility mechanisms, and hybrid venture positioning. This research offers theoretical, managerial, and policy insights for stakeholders in emerging economies.