The application and relevance of spiritual leadership in the JSE Top 40 companies

Abstract

We are in the midst of a crisis of confidence in the leadership spearheading many of our domestic and global institutions. The global financial crisis, the credit crunch, mass retrenchments and worldwide recession have all contributed to a growing disenchantment with leadership in organisations and governments. Spiritual leadership seeks to create a new paradigm for leadership, one that is capable of addressing the daunting challenge ahead. This exploratory study applies the paradigm of qualitative inquiry and the long interview research method due to the relative ambiguity, mutual simultaneous shaping of factors and the imperative to understand the context of spirituality and leadership in corporate South Africa. The conclusion offers implications for practice and academia and suggests that spirituality and spiritual leadership already plays a vital if unacknowledged role in organisations the efficacy and value of which can be improved substantially if purposefully practiced and developed.