Title
Wisdom Revolution: Healing Corporate America through Practical Wisdom
Document Type
Thesis or dissertation
Date of this Version
2019
Abstract
In this Capstone paper, I present evidence on why a new wisdom revolution in business is imminent (or even already underway); why wisdom is the path to healing corporate America’s ills of employee disengagement, ethical lapses, and environmental collapse; and why wisdom in organizations is the answer to elevating the well-being of humanity, communities, global society and the earth we share. I use mini-case studies of General Motor’s rise and fall - and rise again under Mary Barra’s leadership, to illustrate and explore concepts of organizational and leadership wisdom. I review literature, theories and empirical evidence to propose definitions for wisdom, wise leadership, organizational wisdom, wisdom cultures; and explore how wisdom and positive psychology converge and diverge. Based on seminal theories for cultural and organizational change, I propose evidence-based strategies and pathways toward ushering in an age of wisdom, culminating in an 18-step playbook for leading an organizational transformation toward wisdom. Finally, I recommend wisdom-focused metrics to monitor progress and course correct, suggest how business schools might assist in producing wise future leaders from the beginning, and recommend areas for future research.
Keywords
wisdom, leadership, business revolutions, positive organizations, cultural transformation
Topic
Business/Work, Well-being/Flourishing
Format
Literature Review
Date Posted: 30 October 2019