Motive, measure, and menace: entrepreneurial Machiavellianism and the regenerative paradox in the age of climate crisis and circular transition

Through a scoping review and evaluation of contextual examples, this research critically examines the emergence and implications of Machiavellian tendencies within globally focused and populist entrepreneurial leadership, particularly in the context of climate governance, sustainability efforts, and circular economy discourse (Pelster and Schaltegger, 2022; Afshar Jahanshahi and Kalaycioglu, 2026; Safari et al., 2026). It explores how entrepreneurial narratives associated with resilience, innovation, regeneration, and green transformation may conceal or legitimise destructive, self-serving, or extractive motives (Qadir and Chaudhry, 2024). The study evaluates how entrepreneurial actors across business and governance (Crammond, 2020; 2023) strategically may construct narratives of environmental stewardship while simultaneously perpetuating systems of ecological degradation and delayed climate action.

Drawing upon leadership theory, political entrepreneurship, critical sustainability studies, and organisational ethics, the research interrogates the relationship between motive, measure, and menace in entrepreneurial behaviour (Wu et al., 2019; Bouncken et al., 2020). ‘Motive’ concerns the ideological and economic intentions underlying sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship; ‘measure’ addresses the metrics, performance indicators, and rhetorical framings used to legitimise entrepreneurial success; and ‘menace’ reflects the societal and environmental harms that may emerge when entrepreneurial power becomes concentrated, populist, manipulative, or insufficiently accountable.

The paper responds to growing concerns (Shirokova et al., 2024) that entrepreneurial leadership has become increasingly performative within climate and circular economy agendas. Although resilience and regeneration are frequently presented as collective and ethical pursuits, dominant entrepreneurial narratives often continue to prioritise growth accumulation, political influence, market domination, and reputational advantage (MacKie, 2024). Consequently, this research questions whether contemporary entrepreneurial leadership genuinely advances regenerative futures or merely reproduces unsustainable capitalist structures under the language of sustainability.