On developing responsible leaders

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.

(Viktor Frankl)

Introduction

In this paper, we present a methodology to effectively develop responsible leaders through developing their response-ability. As stated in the quote by Viktor Frankl above, there is a space between a stimulus and our response to that stimulus within which we can choose our response rather than unconsciously react. For leaders to be responsible, they must possess the ability to choose their response to others in unfolding relationships. In other words, responsible leaders must be response-able.

Most responsible leadership development programs focus on developing a cognitive understanding of responsible leadership by having individuals learn theories and engage in disembodied case studies. Others have participants engage in service-learning projects or practice decontextualized skills identified with being a responsible leader. But leaders learn to lead through taking action while actually leading others (Ibarra, 2015). The methodology presented below facilitates an individual’s ability and commitment to act responsibly within the context of their day-to-day lives (Hibbert and Cunliffe, 2015). More specifically, it provides a structure that helps individuals prepare for and engage in meaningful real-life leadership development experiences in the context of their day-to-day lives. Through self-reflexivity and reflection, individuals enhance their understanding of their lived experience, which in turn develops their practical wisdom, response-ability and, thus, their ability to be a responsible leader.

Next, we discuss responsible leadership, followed by a discussion of the limitations of existing responsible leadership development programs. Then, we identify response-ability, mindfulness, experimentation and practical wisdom as the foundations of responsible leadership development. Based on the above, we present a practical methodology to develop responsible leaders. Finally, we present evidence of the efficacy of this methodology.

Responsible leadership

Responsibility is not just a topic of present-day management scholarship. The topic has a long history within such disciplines as philosophy and psychology. Influential philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre (1984), Martin Heidegger (2010), Emmanuel Levinas (1998), Merleau-Ponty and Landes (2012) and Paul Ricoeur (1992) and psychologists such as Viktor Frankl (2006) and Rollo May (2009) identified our ability to be responsible as what separates us from other living beings. Our most important responsibility is toward other...