Leadership as Enabling Function for Flourishing by Design

Antony UpwardRob Elkington

2016

=Purpose This conceptual paper alerts the reader to the urgent need to address the most pressing challenge and opportunity of the 21st century, namely leadership that enables flourishing for all forever. =Design/methodology/approach This concept paper suggests a heuristic for the reader and supplies a working model of leadership as enabling function for flourishing that arises from a survey of the literature around leadership development as well as a brief review of the literature on flourishing. =Findings The paper highlights the reality that there are, as yet, only a small number of organizations and leadership that have conceptualized and implemented the notion of flourishing by design and that a great deal more research and implementation needs to occur to prove the validity of the model. =Research limitations/implications We need to undertake quasi-experimental research in which leadership development praxis incorporates the element of flourishing by design and then action research through which the outcomes can be measured, modified, and ongoing improvements iterated into the organizational design. =Practical implications This paper suggests a different mindset and skillset for leadership, and by implication, leadership development. Our ongoing research into "Seeking Best Methods for Leadership Development," through our Round 1 Delphi survey has uncovered the elements of Human Capital, Social Capital, Structural Capital, and Self Leadership, as core elements desired by global CEO's as necessary for an effective leadership development program. What we did not probe for, and need to probe for, is the element of "Flourishing Capital," or the degree to which the leadership might be developed to serve as enabling function for flourishing for all forever =Originality/value The paper highlights the reality that there are, as yet, only a small number of organizations and leadership that have conceptualized and implemented the notion of flourishing by design and that a great deal more research and implementation needs to occur to prove the validity of the model. [To learn more about Leadership for Flourishing see www.globalleader.ca/. To learn more about the Flourishing Business Canvas see www.FlourishingBusiness.org]