Abstract:
The population continues to grow despite the continuous depletion of scarce resources,
perplexing climate changes and many other related conditions, which are fast converging
in an unprecedent fashion to create a complex mix of sustainability issues, thus
threatening human survival and endangering environmental preservation for current and
future generations. Most CEOs in leading organisations claim to take the issue of
sustainability seriously, yet the Triple Bottom Line gap continues to grow indicating an
urgent need to identify relevant leadership approaches for sustainability. The purpose of
this study was to contribute to existing leadership literature by exploring and gaining a
deeper understanding of the influence of care in relational leadership for sustainability.
The study followed an exploratory qualitative of semi-structured interviews of 12
participants, including two experts across different sustainability focused organisations
in a variety of sectors within South Africa. The findings of the study delivered key insights
on the benefits of adding ethical values such as caring into relational leadership. It also
highlighted potential areas for further exploration, in support of growing efforts towards
a better understanding of sustainability leadership. These findings were then translated
into a conceptual framework as a potential reference tool for business, practitioners and
society at large, as they journey forward towards a sustainable future for all generations.
