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Welcome to Leaders for Humanity!
Welcome to Leaders for Humanity - a unique inquiry into how to develop Good Organisations, a Good Economy, and Good Leaders!
Together with a select number of globally renowned thought leaders we systematically explore the intricacies of leadership in the context of society and economy, management and organisational design, and transformative change. Our discussions span diverse ethical and political paradigms and explore a wide range of theories and practical approaches to make our organisations a little bit better every day!
Whether you're a researcher or practitioner, our deep dives at master and PhD level promise a thorough examination of accepted management wisdom, a better understanding of the businesses we live in, and a thought-provoking inspiration for collective leadership. Join us throughout the series as we weave together the fundamentals for responsible organisations, contributing to a thriving planet for all. Together, let's reinvent "good" leadership to inspire and guide businesses toward becoming a force for good!
A Necessary Revolution
Today's world is complex and defies simple solutions. Yet, instead of increasing our collective wisdom and nurturing our capacity for critical thinking it appears our commitment to thorough inquiry has waned: Rather than asking deeper questions, we reify efficiency and financial returns. Rather than deepening our understanding of the humanities, we have put our trust in technology. Rather than integrating our learning, we have increasingly siloed knowledge – between academia and practice, philosophy and business, and across scientific disciplines. Paradoxically, thus, we have become the most powerful creatures that ever were, and yet are increasingly constrained in our ability to flourish together.
Therein lies great danger. Societal challenges are rapidly growing, demanding urgent and thoughtful responses. Yet, alternative blueprints for and exemplars of good leadership and management are hard to find; and contemporary recipes for societal and organisational transformation are often fragmented, unethical, or not based on the best available evidence. If we agree that the power of economic activity should, first and foremost, enable our humanity, then leaders across institutions must step fully into their civic responsibility - beyond any superficial maximisation of profits or customer satisfaction. Businesses and organisations must honour and nurture their impact on human well-being and the natural ecology.
What's Our Objective?
For our own sake, we must abandon the certitude of popular management textbooks, often promoting a reductionist ideology and simplistic technical tools, to embark on an inquiry to discover what it really means for modern organisations and modern leaders to act responsibly: We must redefine what corporate purpose and responsibility amount to in a modern society. We must identify and develop credible practices to foster organisational emancipation and transformation on a societal scale. We must nurture personal and mutual leadership development, as well as the moral courage, commitment and compassion to challenge established authority and the status quo.
Our hope is that the Leaders for Humanity dialogues will help to:
- Resurrect a "philosophical approach" to management and leadership, using transdisciplinary dialectics to explore deeper and existential questions, and examine how to bring to life the best of our humanity in organisations
- Create a community of researchers and practitioners who share our passion for ethical transformation and contribute to collective learning and experimentation, seeking to understand how we can nurture a genuine capacity for collective leadership wisdom
- Inspire and promote a novel narrative of Good Organisations, to guide and motivate us in becoming the conscious, courageous and caring leaders humanity needs.
Who Is It For?
Admittedly, our inquiry will not be for the faint of heart. As Andre' Comte-Sponville, the French philosopher, eloquently stated: philosophy is an arduous task, requiring effort, study, and the use of appropriate tools. It requires us to think critically, whilst drawing on the wisdom of both past and contemporary thinkers. Like any voyage into uncharted territory, the initial steps must be intimidating and discouraging for many. But fear not! Once you have mastered the sometimes arcane and esoteric vocabulary of philosophy, the rewards can be profound! We hope you will find as much joy and insights in these discussions as we have, and wish you the very best on your personal odyssey of learning.
A little wiser every month with Leaders for Humanity
A Journey of Inquiry
About Our Approach
A Trans-Disciplinary Investigation
Our interview series is tailored to researchers, interested leaders, engaged citizens, and students alike. We aim to provide them with deeper knowledge to transcends narrow and discipline-specific boundaries, seeking to inspire critical thinking and practical wisdom. We also invite our audience to contribute their personal experience and lessons learned.
Topical In-Depth Research
Beyond our interviews we also seek to systematically develop new insights into specific topics, related to the development of a new theory for responsible leadership. For this purpose, our inquiry is supported by a small-but-growing team of dedicated PhD students at the University of St. Gallen. In the long run, we hope to establish a broader research network focused on ethical leadership and organisations, and we aim to engage with and showcase the work of young researchers who are willing to collaborate and share their theses with fellow academics. Moreover, we are happy to stimulate possible master- and bachelor thesis topics - where we can either become sparring partners or offer the theses in collaboration with the University of St. Gallen or the Hochschule für Wirtschaft in Zürich.
Bringing It All Together
- Leaders for Humanity Masterclass: Based on our Leaders for Humanity interviews, our Masterclass encourages shared learning and Socratic dialogue to generate a more profound understanding of our societal challenges. Challenging reductionism and championing critical thinking, it poses deeper questions and provides support and curated resources for personal exploration to develop new narratives and practices for ethical organizations that prioritize human and ecological flourishing.
- Hunt for Good Organisations: Leveraging the insights from our interviews and the continuous evolution of our organisational transformation model, we are developing a comprehensive teaching module for responsible leadership education. In a transformative journey, students explore and engage with exemplary businesses, while examining their own roles in shaping ethical businesses and the future of work.
- Leadership Development: Building on our Good Organisation inquiry, we will continuously evolve and test practices and theory of good organisations. We hope to offer specific educational modules and advice to inspire individuals, organisations or educational institutions who wish to join our journey towards more wisdom in leadership.
Our Inquiry Structure
Series 1 and 2 Interviews now available online for FREE
OUR BIG THANKS TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL PARTICIPANTS
Thank you for making yourselves available and for sharing your personal experience and wisdom!
Starting from a philosophical or political perspective: Good Life and Good Society
ED FREEMAN
FRANK MARTELA
ALEJO SISON
BLAINE FOWERS
ALICIA HENNIG
PAUL ADLER
MIKE O'DONNELL
Starting from a (political-) economic perspective: Good Economy
HENRY MINTZBERG
STEFANO ZAMAGNI
LUIGINO BRUNI
BRUNO FREY
MARGIT OSTERLOH
ANDRÉ HABISCH
Starting from management and organisational behaviour perspective: Good Organisations
OTTO SCHARMER
HARI TSOUKAS
CAROL SANFORD
MATS ALVESSON
JANE DUTTON
EMANUELE QUINTARELLI
ALAN WATKINS
Starting from personal development and education: Good Leaders and Good Leadership
BILL TORBERT
GIANPIERO PETRIGLIERI
GERT BIESTA
DARCIA NARVAEZ
SIMON WESTERN
SCOTT PARSONS
Engage in the ongoing discussion on social media by searching for #leadersforhumanity!
Simply use the hashtag if you want to connect with us or directly post on the GoodOrganisations LinkedIn page.
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