The term “tribalism” was coined by sociologist Michel Maffesoli in the 1980s to explain a shift in Western society from one built around the individual to a world populated by “affective communities” where individuals, driven by the emotional bonds of these communities, seek to belong and feel useful. They identify with a group – or […]
Read More… from Modern Tribes – Managing Diversity and Identity
The story of Nelson Mandela is a remarkable illustration of forgiveness. In the face of fierce opposition from most members of the ANC, Mandela reached out to his former enemies to try to build a unified nation. “Forgiveness,” he told party members, “liberates the soul, it removes fear. That’s why it’s such a powerful weapon.” […]
Read More… from Learn to Forgive: Mandela’s Leadership Legacy
‘Employee happiness’ has been getting a lot of attention in recent years. The evidence is there to show that it is directly-related to business performance; your happy employees are almost certainly going to be more productive than the unhappy ones. Similarly, there has been a lot of research highlighting the factors that can lead to […]
Read More… from How Prosocial Goals Promote Employee Happiness
The traditional, hierarchical structure of organizations is diminishing as we work our way through the 21st century. Business is fast-paced and unpredictable; we cannot rely on things the way we used to, whether it is our customers, our suppliers, or even our staff. Modern companies are constantly reminded to be flexible, to adapt, and to […]
Read More… from Smart Moves – the Tango and Modern Leadership
The idea of character has been lost sight of. One reason could be that the educational system and organizations are completely competency focused, or perhaps because character seems an old-fashioned word. However, character is a vital part of leadership and it cannot be ignored. Character fundamentally shapes how we engage with the world around us, […]
Read More… from Character – The Unspoken Essence of Leadership
Responsible leadership is a concept that can help link corporate social responsibility (CSR) and performance to actions on the part of policy makers and leaders. In a world where public trust in leaders is low and reputations of firms are often called into question, RL can help bridge the gap between that negative perception and […]
Read More… from The Four Orientations of Responsible Leaders
In April 2010, an explosion on an oil rig connected to BP in the Gulf of Mexico threatened the fate of the company forever. The disaster resulted in the death of 11 workers, and approximately five million barrels of crude oil ended up being discharged into the ocean by the time the well was finally […]
Read More… from Ethical Leadership in a Crisis (and to Avoid Crises)
Based on interviews with more than 50 employees across 12 companies, as well as questionnaire data from more than 200 employees London Business School’s professor, Julian Birkinshaw, along with his fellow researchers, say that management should be about “seeing the world through the eyes of the employee.” In other words, it is a manager’s job […]
Much of the recent research into leadership seems to note the same thing: current leadership theories are lacking something, or limiting in their conceptualization. Elaborating on this, the author of this paper introduces a new theory, based on the idea that leadership consists of a series of recurring leading-following double interacts that anyone can participate […]
What can classical Chinese philosophy teach the West about leaders and leadership? A lot, according to the author of this paper; Western leaders can, amongst many things, learn how to act in harmony with situations and do what is required, learn how not to abuse power and cultivate “refined” behaviour, all through an understanding of […]
Read More… from Chinese Philosophy: Lessons for Western Leaders
