Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Prosocial Leadership pp 1–22Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Need for Prosocial Leaders

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 826 Accesses

Abstract

This first chapter sets the theoretical context for the book and the development of prosocial leadership theory and the prosocial leadership development process. The chapter highlights the need for individuals to act as stewards who take responsibility for the world’s environmental and social issues. The chapter then moves towards a stewardship model, which is theoretically supported by numerous corporate social responsibility initiatives, all of which share the importance of leadership as an initiating factor. The chapter resolves by arguing for the importance of raising up intrinsically motivated, and personally devoted, prosocial leaders as the initial and catalytic element to foster global stewardship, that being leaders who take personal and organizational responsibility.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Algera, P. M., & Lips-Wiersma, M. (2012). Radical authentic leadership: Co-creating the conditions under which all members of the organization can be authentic. The Leadership Quarterly, 23(1), 118–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, A. L. (2004). The new ethics: A guided tour of the twenty-first century moral landscape. New York: Miramax.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, E. (2001). Integrating leadership styles and ethical perspectives. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 18(4), 244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Astin, H. S., & Antonio, A. L. (2004). The impact of college on character development. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2004(122), 55–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avolio, B. J., & Locke, E. A. (2002). Contrasting different philosophies of leader motivation: Altruism vs. egoism. Leadership Quarterly, 13, 169–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, N. (2002). Citizenship, nationalism and the European Union. European Law Review, 27(1/6), 241–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, T. (2007). Young people and civic participation: A conceptual review. Youth and Policy, 96(96), 19–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barner, J. R., Okech, D., & Camp, M. A. (2014). Socio-economic inequality, human trafficking, and the global slave trade. Societies, 4(2), 148–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batson, C. D. (2010). Empathy-induced altruistic motivation. In Prosocial motives, emotions, and behavior: The better angels of our nature (pp. 15–34). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beirhoff, H. W., Klien, R., & Kramp, P. (1991). Evidence for the altruistic personality from data on accident research. Journal of Personality, 59, 263–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergman, R. (2004). Identity as motivation: Toward a theory of moral self. In D. K. Lapsley & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Moral development, self and identity (pp. 21–46). Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi, A. (1983). Moral cognition and moral action: A theoretical perspective. Developmental Review, 3, 178–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Block, P. (1993). Stewardship: Choosing service over self-interest. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonini, S., & Bové, A. T. (2014). Sustainability’s strategic worth. McKinsey Global Survey results. New York: McKinsey & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, L. (2010). Balancing risk and innovation to improve social work practice. British Journal of Social Work, 40(4), 1211–1228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns, J. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christie, A., Barling, J., & Turner, N. (2011). Pseudo-transformational leadership: Model specification and outcomes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(12), 2943–2984.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciulla, J. B. (2001). Carving leaders from the warped wood of humanity. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration, 18(4), 313–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciulla, J. B. (2003). The ethics of leadership. Belmont: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, D., Harrison, M., & Halpin, S. (2008). An integrative approach to leader development: Connecting adult development, identity, and expertise. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Cremer, D., Van Dijke, M., Mayer, D., Schouten, B., & Bardes, M. (2009). When does self-sacrificial leadership motivate prosocial behavior? It depends on followers’ prevention focus. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(4), 887–899.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deardorff, M., Kolnick, J., Mvusi, T., & McLemore, L. (2005). The Fannie Lou Hamer national institute on citizenship and democracy: Engaging a curriculum and pedagogy. History Teacher, 38(4), 441–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeSoto, H. (2000). The mystery of capital: Why capitalism triumphs in the west and fails everywhere else. New York: Perseus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, J. (2005). Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed. York: Penguin books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, N. (1986). Altruistic emotion, congnition, and behavior. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, D., Silverman, M., & Bowman, W. (Eds.). (2016). Artistic citizenship: Artistry, social responsibility, and ethical praxis. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewest, T. (2015). The Provocation. Does prosocial behavior, the concern for the welfare of the other, limit a leader’s ability to innovate? Journal of Leadership Studies, 9(3), 53–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewest, T. (2017). Leadership and moral behavior. In Leadership today (pp. 43–57). New York, NY: Springer International Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferdig, M. A. (2007). Sustainability leadership: Co-creating a sustainable future. Journal of Change Management, 7(1), 25–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R. E. (2010). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, L. W. (2003). Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 14, 693–727.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaiha, R. (2003). Are millennium goals of poverty reduction useful? Oxford Development Studies, 31(1), 59–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, F., & Pason, A. (2003). Levels of leadership: Developing leaders through new models. Journal of Education for Business, 79(1), 23–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, A. (2007). Relational job design and motivation to make a prosocial difference. Academy of Management Review, 32(2): 393–417.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, A. (2012). Leading with meaning: Beneficiary contact, Prosoical impact, and the performance effects of transformational leadership. Academy of Management Journal, 55(2), 458–476.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, R. (2002). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness (25th anniversary ed.). New York: Paulist Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haidt, J. (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist approach to moral judgment. Psychological Review, 108(4), 814.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannah, S. T., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2011). Relationships between authentic leadership, moral courage, and ethical and pro-social behaviors. Business Ethics Quarterly, 21(04), 555–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, P. D., Zahn-Waxler, C., Robinson, J., Usher, B., & Bridges, D. (2000). The development of concern for others in children with behavior problems. Developmental Psychology, 36, 531–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, M. (2008). Promoting stewardship behavior in organizations: A leadership model. Journal of Business Ethics, 80(1), 121–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, M. L. (2000). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, S. (2000). Effects of short-term service ministry trips on the development of social responsibility in college students. Unpublished doctoral thesis, George Fox University, Newberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., & Dorfman, P. W. (2004). In V. Gupta (Ed.), Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks: Sage publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • International Forum for Human Development. (2006). Social justice in an open world: The role of the United Nations. New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, C. (2011). Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership: Casting light or casting shadow. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanungo, R. N. (2001). Ethical values of transactional and transformational leaders. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l’Administration, 18(4), 257–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kierkegaard, S. (2013). Kierkegaard’s writings, VI: Fear and trembling/repetition (Vol. 6). Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Self-regulation through goal setting. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 212–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, J. T., & Beamish, P. W. (Eds.) (2012). Globally responsible leadership: Managing according to the UN global compact. Thousand Oaks: Sage

    Google Scholar 

  • Lord, R., & Brown, D. (2004). Leadership process and follower identity. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macfarlane, B. (2005). The disengaged academic: The retreat from citizenship. Higher Education Quarterly, 59(4), 296–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackey, J., & Sisodia, R. (2014). Conscious capitalism, with a new preface by the authors: Liberating the heroic spirit of business. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malone, M. (1994). Perpetual motion executive. Forbes, 153, 93–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monfreda, C., Wackernagel, M., & Deumling, D. (2004). Establishing national natural capital accounts based on detailed ecological footprint and biological capacity assessments. Land Use Policy, 21(3), 231–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura, M., & Watanabe-Muraoka, A. (2006). Global social responsibility: Developing a scale for senior high school students in Japan. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 28(3), 213–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naldi, L., Nordqvist, M., Sjöberg, K., & Wiklund, J. (2007). Entrepreneurial orientation, risk taking, and performance in family firms. Family Business Review, 20(1), 33–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (1995). Sustained helping without obligation: Motivation, longevity of service, and perceived attitude change among AIDS volunteers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 671–686.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paarlberg, L., & Lavigna, B. (2010). Transformational leadership and public service motivation: Driving individual and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 9(1), 710–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palazzo, G., & Scherer, A. G. (2006). Corporate legitimacy as deliberation: A communicative framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 66(1), 71–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penner, L. A., & Finkelstein, M. A. (1998). Dispositional and structural determinants of volunteerism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 525–537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ridenour, J. (2007). The role of spirituality and the impact on social responsibility. Unpublished doctoral thesis, George Fox University, Newberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C. R. (1959). A theory of therapy, personality, and interpersonal relationships: As developed in the client-centered framework (Vol. 3, pp. 184–256). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, W. G., & Lipsky, D. (2008). The sustainable enterprise fieldbook: When it all comes together. New York: American Management Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. (1994). Are there universal aspects in the structure and contents of human values? Journal of Social Issues, 50(4), 19–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. T., Martin, H. M., & Smith, L. M. (2014). Human trafficking: A global multi-billion dollar criminal industry. International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 4(3), 293–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sosik, J., Jung, D., & Dinger, S. (2009). Values in authentic action: Examining the roots and of leadership. Group & Organization Management, 34(4), 395–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storsletten, V. M., & Jakobsen, O. D. (2015). Development of leadership theory in the perspective of Kierkegaard’s philosophy. Journal of Business Ethics, 128(2), 337–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treviño, L. K., Brown, M., & Hartman, L. P. (2003). A qualitative investigation of perceived executive ethical leadership: Perceptions from inside and outside the executive suite. Human Relations, 56(1), 5–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitell, S. (2009). The role of religiosity in business ethic and consumer ethics: A review of the literature. Journal of Business Ethics, 90, 155–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, L. J. (2004). Gus in the gap: Bridging the judgment-action gap in moral functioning. In D. K. Lapsley & D. Narvaez (Eds.), Moral development, self and identity (pp. 341–368). New York: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weaver, G. R., & Agle, B. R. (2002). Religious and ethical behavior in organizations: A symbolic interactionist perspective. Academy of Management Review, 27, 77–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, W., & Edlebeck, C. (2006). Leading, learning, and unleashing potential: Youth leadership and civic engagement. New Directions for Youth Development, 109, 89–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, B. J., & Kitsantas, A. (1997). Developmental phases in self-regulation: Shifting from process goals to outcome goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(1), 29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Houston Baptist University, Houston, USA

    Timothy Ewest

Authors
  1. Timothy Ewest
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Ewest, T. (2018). The Need for Prosocial Leaders. In: Prosocial Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57808-2_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation