Wanted: Heroic Leaders to Drive the Transition to 'Business Beyond Usual'
Journal
Strategic Organization
ISSN
1476-1270
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Abstract (De)
Business-as-usual is likely to drive us to an unsustainable world. To solve the problems human industrial activity has created, such as climate change, species extinction, and biodiversity loss, business leaders (CEOs, top managers, and boards of directors) must be central to the solution for corporate sustainability (CS). In particular, ‘heroic’ leaders are needed to transform their companies into business beyond usual. In this essay, we briefly outline what researchers already know about microfoundational or socio-cognitive and motivational underpinnings of leaders that affect CS. However, gaps remain in our understanding of affective drivers and values of leaders. We question whether microfoundations research has the potential to understand true business transformation for positive deviance and suggest that positive organizational scholarship and research on sustainability change agents can provide insights. We next highlight how empirical and research design shortcomings might be addressed. Finally, we discuss how to identify, develop, and empower leaders with transformational potential so that we can proactively create heroic leaders rather than wait for them to magically appear.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Sage
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
261276