The challenge of New Age leadership

n the fast and unexpected changing business environment — of global, political, societal, economical, and technological — organisational change raises the call for a more holistic leadership that has the capacity to handle those modern challenges. Changes in our rapid modern society are causing institutions to be managed differently from the traditional, centralised, standardised and formalised bureaucratic organisational form based on fear to a newer learning organisational paradigm that is radically different.

Attention is now given to the conceptual distinction between management as control and leadership as motivation. For organisations wanting greater commitment this means opening up the conversation to include dimensions of soul and ethics that have been traditionally left outside business management. This need has opened the door now for the New Age leadership.

In our current economic situation, the workplace has been turned into a tense environment due to downsizing, restructuring, outsourcing and layoffs. Employees become dispirited, evident in rising absenteeism, low morale and substandard performance. This makes it increasingly difficult for organisations to remain competitive in the changing global marketplace. Employee creativity needs a fuller expression at work, but such expression is difficult when work itself is immensely repetitive and not meaningful.

The argument is advanced that New Age leadership provides meaning and purpose in the lives of individuals and that it could be positively applied. It is viewed as sensitive and controversial and has the potential to develop leadership as it allows employees and leaders to act from personal truth, integrity, values and ethical practice, simply because it speaks to the deeper needs of the human heart. New Age leadership is seen to have the potential to tap into the fundamental needs of both leader and follower for business survival. No one can hope to lead an organisation by standing outside or ignoring the web of relationships through which all work is accomplished.

The reader is a human resource development lecturer and writer based in Manama, Bahrain.