9. Impact of Sustainable Leadership on Organizational Transformation

Leadership since the ancient times is considered to be an inherently moral endeavour. The conventional leadership theories considered leadership to be an innate talent, and the later theories suggested leadership can be adapted or learnt. A vital strand of leadership research deals with leadership in the organizational context. Ever since the advent of the global financial crisis, stalwarts in the field of leadership research are calling for a new kind of leadership which will ensure organizations become sufficiently resilient and be well prepared to deal with any sort of unforeseen adversities. Sustainable leadership assumes significance in this context. Sustainable leadership is based on the humanistic approach towards management, which takes into account the human factor in the organizational settings as the facilitator establish the overall well-being of the business firm. Such leadership practices create a self-reinforcing leadership system that enhances the organizational performance and longevity. Visser and Courtice (2011) developed a model on sustainable leadership precisely known as the Cambridge Sustainability Leadership (CSL) Model. The model was developed on the basis of the diverse tenants of sustainable leadership. The study attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of the CSL leadership model based on the qualitative data. It is a single-subject study based on qualitative research and case study research methodology. The study is based on an intensive interview of a senior male executive working in a department under the central government of India to understand the significance of the ‘individual leader’ factor as illustrated in the CSL model. An effort has also been made to understand the perception of the subordinates towards the male executive. It appears to emerge from the interview data of the male executive that he embodies a blend of the diverse components of the ‘individual leader’ factor as described in the Visser and Courtice’s (2011) CSL model. The interview data of the subordinates seems to suggest the male executive is perceived to exhibit the various characteristics of the ‘individual leader’ dimension. More specifically, the interview data of the subordinates appears to suggest that the male executive demonstrates sustainable leadership behaviour. Therefore,  proactive measures by global business firms embracing sustainable leadership at the workplace will ensure overall organizational growth.