Introduction

What is “it” that an enterprise should be trying to do in a volatile and expanding global workplace? The “it” is creating a sustainable business model for both employees and society. The twenty-first century has been witness to millions of lost jobs worldwide, many never to return, and the related increasing social and governmental costs of unemployment and lost tax revenue which impact budgets for education, health and public safety. In modern society, one of the worst things that can happen to an employee is losing a job through no fault of his or her own. Perhaps even more serious is the loss or near-loss of a business enterprise which could have been sustained—but it was not—because of either outmoded or unethical practices and decisions which were given higher priority over employee or even social considerations. Again, the twenty-first century has been witness to the large-scale injurious effects of leadership at large corporations such as Enron and Tyco and within whole industries such as US banking and the American automotive industry.