Purpose: One leadership style that effectively adapts to today’s dynamic environment through flexible and adaptive behaviors is the chameleon leadership style. Chameleon leaders possess the ability to modify their behavior and adjust to new situations to achieve their objectives. By aligning their approach with situational demands, they can lead effectively in various contexts. These leaders are characterized by their capacity for rapid adjustment in response to changing circumstances. A chameleon leader may also influence others through manipulative behaviors and superficiality, affecting them in complex ways. This leadership style has a dual nature, meaning it can generate both positive and negative outcomes. Accordingly, the present study aims to identify the causes of the inclination toward, and the consequences of using, the chameleon leadership style in knowledge based organizations. 
Design/Methodology/Approach: This study is exploratory in purpose and utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods, following an inductive–deductive philosophical approach. The statistical population included experts selected through purposive sampling and based on the principle of theoretical saturation. The data collection tool in the qualitative phase was a semi structured interview, whose validity and reliability were confirmed using content validity, theoretical validity, and intra coder and inter coder reliability methods. In the quantitative phase, data were collected using a questionnaire whose validity and reliability were verified through content validity and test–retest reliability. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed through the fuzzy cognitive map method.
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Findings: The results indicate that ambiguous and unpredictable environmental conditions, high emotional intelligence in managers, and a desire for popularity among managers are among the most significant drivers of the inclination toward the chameleon (sun worshipper) leadership style. Additionally, expanding the organization’s competitive capacity, increasing its adaptive capability, and enhancing crisis management competency were identified as the most important consequences of this leadership style.
Discussion and Conclusion: Knowledge based organizations operate in highly dynamic and competitive environments. In such contexts, the chameleon leadership style owing to its high degree of flexibility enables leaders to respond rapidly to changes and adjust their strategies and approaches accordingly, thereby guiding the organization toward success. The findings of this study are presented in both qualitative and quantitative dimensions. The qualitative results reveal the causes of the inclination toward, and the consequences of adopting, the chameleon leadership style in knowledge based organizations. The identified causes include: managers’ possession of quantum thinking, ambiguous and unpredictable environmental conditions, the institutionalization of a dual capacity organizational culture, managers’ tendency toward emperor building (imperialism), pursuit of profit and self interest, steering the organization toward competitive intelligence, high emotional intelligence among managers, the desire to strengthen organizational resilience, managers’ tendency toward popularity seeking, and the dominance of a visionary personality trait in managers. The identified consequences include: enhanced organizational adaptive capacity, improved crisis management competency, prevention of monotony and stagnation, increased bargaining power in problem solving, the emergence of administrative opportunism, strengthened organizational flexibility, enhanced organizational agility, introduction of opportunities for growth and development, expansion of competitive capacity, and the creation of a climate of paranoia and skepticism toward the manager.