Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Responsible Leadership: A Mapping of Extant Research and Future Directions

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recently, the increasing interest in responsible leadership (RL) has produced a research field rich in theoretical and conceptual potential, with diverse research foci, theoretical foundations, and methodological approaches. While these developments have demarcated the field from other leadership-oriented disciplines, they have equally courted fragmentation and ambiguity in terms of the field’s positioning within the greater body of leadership studies. To map the theoretical, methodological, and empirical state of the art of the RL field, we outline recent developments and delineate important research gaps and directions for future theory development and empirical research. We emphasize the transition of RL research from micro-level perspectives with normative roots to research spanning multiple levels of analysis, vis-à-vis both antecedents and outcomes. We discuss the implications of our mapping, highlighting the necessity of not only conceptualizing RL across multiple levels of analysis, but also to actively focus on interactions among RL antecedents and outcomes across these levels. Through these, we aim to contribute to the field by strengthening its conceptual foundations and anchoring it more clearly within leadership studies overall.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

CR:

Corporate responsibility

HR:

Human resource

RL:

Responsible leadership

References

  • Arora, B., & Puranik, R. (2004). A review of corporate social responsibility in India. Development, 47(3), 93–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1995). MLQ multifactor leadership questionnaire for research. Palo Alto: Mind Garden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohman, J. F., & Rehg, W. (1997). Deliberative democracy: Essays on reason and politics. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyatzis, R. E. (2014). Possible contributions to leadership and management development from neuroscience. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(2), 300–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Caligiuri, P., & Thoroughgood, C. (2015). Developing responsible global leaders through corporate—sponsored international volunteerism programs. Organizational Dynamics, 44(2), 138–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. L. (2007). Why would corporations behave in socially responsible ways? An institutional theory of corporate social responsibility. The Academy of Management Review, 32(3), 946–967.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A. B. (1999). Corporate social responsibility evolution of a definitional construct. Business and Society, 38(3), 268–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A. B. (2015). Corporate social responsibility: The centerpiece of competing and complementary frameworks. Organizational Dynamics, 44(2), 87–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A. B., & Buchholtz, A. (2014). Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management. Mason: Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A. B., & Shabana, K. M. (2010). The business case for corporate social responsibility: A review of concepts, research and practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 85–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coldwell, D. A. L. (2010). Running heading: Interfaces in management freedom, moral orientations and corporate instrumentality: Towards a model of responsible management. The Next Generation Responsible Leaders, 15–22.

  • Coldwell, D. A. L., Joosub, T., & Papageorgiou, E. (2012). Responsible leadership in organizational crises: An analysis of the effects of public perceptions of selected SA business organizations’ reputations. Journal of Business Ethics, 109(2), 133–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, M., & Toffel, M. W. (2004). Stakeholders and environmental management practices: An institutional framework. Business Strategy and the Environment, 13(4), 209–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinh, J. E., Lord, R. G., Gardner, W. L., Meuser, J. D., Liden, R. C., & Hu, J. (2014). Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 36–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doh, J. P., & Guay, T. R. (2006). Corporate social responsibility, public policy, and NGO activism in Europe and the United States: An institutional–stakeholder perspective. Journal of Management Studies, 43(1), 47–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doh, J. P., Husted, B. W., Matten, D., & Santoro, M. (2010). Ahoy there! Toward greater congruence and synergy between international business and business ethics theory and research. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(3), 481–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doh, J. P., Littell, B., & Quigley, N. R. (2015). CSR and sustainability in emerging markets: Societal, institutional, and organizational influences. Organizational Dynamics, 44(2), 112–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doh, J. P., & Quigley, N. R. (2014). Responsible leadership and stakeholder management: Influence pathways and organizational outcomes. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), 255–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doh, J. P., & Stumpf, S. A. (2005). Handbook on responsible leadership and governance in global business. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Doh, J. P., Stumpf, S. A., & Tymon, W. G. (2011). Responsible leadership helps retain talent in India. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1(Supp. 1)), 85–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, T., & Preston, L. E. (1995). The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 65–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du, S., Swaen, V., Lindgreen, A., & Sen, S. (2013). The roles of leadership styles in corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(1), 155–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duarte, F. (2010). Working with corporate social responsibility in Brazilian companies: The role of managers’ values in the maintenance of CSR cultures. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(3), 355–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elkington, J. (1997). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Oxford: Capstone.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filatotchev, I., & Nakajima, C. (2014). Corporate governance, responsible managerial behavior, and corporate social responsibility: Organizational efficiency versus organizational legitimacy? Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), 289–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filatotchev, I., & Stahl, G. K. (2015). Towards transnational CSR: Corporate social responsibility approaches and governance solutions for multinational corporations. Organizational Dynamics, 44(2), 121–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R. E. (1997). A stakeholder theory of the modern corporation. In T. L. Beauchamp & N. E. Bowie (Eds.), Ethical theory of business (pp. 66–76). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R. E., & Auster, E. R. (2011). Values, authenticity, and responsible leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1(Supp. 1)), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R. E., Martin, K., Parmar, B., Cording, M., & Werhane, P. H. (2006). Leading through values and ethical principles. In R. J. Burke & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Inspiring leaders (pp. 149–174). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R. E., Wicks, A. C., & Parmar, B. (2004). Stakeholder theory and “the corporate objective revisited”. Organization Science, 15(3), 364–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M. (1970). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. The New York Times Magazine, 13, 32–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M. (2007). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. In W. C. Zimmerli, M. Holzinger, & K. Richter (Eds.), Corporate ethics and corporate governance (pp. 173–178). Berlin: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M., & Friedman, R. D. (2002). Capitalism and freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Frooman, J. (1999). Stakeholder influence strategies. Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 191–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2005). Authentic leadership theory and practice: Origins, effects and development (Vol. 3). New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gond, J.-P., Igalens, J., Swaen, V., & El Akremi, A. (2011). The human resources contribution to responsible leadership: An exploration of the CSR–HR interface. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1), 115–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, R. K. (1970). The servant as a leader. Robert K Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Habermas, J. (1998). Between facts and norms: Contributions to a discourse theory of law and democracy. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Habermas, J. (2001). The inclusion of the other: Studies in political theory. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, T., Pinkse, J., Preuss, L., & Figge, F. (2014). Tensions in corporate sustainability: Towards an integrative framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 127(2), 297–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Held, M. (2001). Sustainable development from a temporal perspective. Time & Society, 10(2–3), 351–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hibbert, P., & Cunliffe, A. (2015). Responsible management: Engaging moral reflexive practice through threshold concepts. Journal of Business Ethics, 127(1), 177–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, C. W., & Jones, T. M. (1992). Stakeholder–agency theory. Journal of Management Studies, 29(2), 131–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hiss, S. (2009). From implicit to explicit corporate social responsibility: Institutional change as a fight for myths. Business Ethics Quarterly, 19(3), 433–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., Sully de Luque, M. F., & House, R. J. (2006). In the eye of the beholder: Cross cultural lessons in leadership from Project GLOBE. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 20(1), 67–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. M. (1991). Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue–contingent model. Academy of Management Review, 16(2), 366–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. M. (1995). Instrumental stakeholder theory: A synthesis of ethics and economics. The Academy of Management Review, 20(2), 404–437.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, J. (2014). Leadership lessons from Levinas: Revisiting responsible leadership. Leadership and the Humanities, 2(1), 44–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ketola, T. (2010). Responsible leadership. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 17(3), 123–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kish-Gephart, J. J., Harrison, D. A., & Treviño, L. K. (2010). Bad apples, bad cases, and bad barrels: Meta-analytic evidence about sources of unethical decisions at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobrin, S. J. (2009). Private political authority and public responsibility: Transnational politics, transnational firms, and human rights. Business Ethics Quarterly, 19(3), 349–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuznetsov, A., Kuznetsova, O., & Warren, R. (2009). CSR and the legitimacy of business in transition economies: The case of Russia. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 25(1), 37–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lane, H. W., Maznevski, M. L., & Mendenhall, M. E. (2004). Globalization: Hercules meets Buddha. In H. W. Lane, M. L. Maznevski, M. E. Mendenhall, & J. McNett (Eds.), The Blackwell handbook of global management: A guide to managing complexity (pp. 3–25). Malden: Blackwell Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lawler, E. E., & Conger, J. A. (2015). The sustainable effectiveness model: Moving corporations beyond the philanthropy paradigm. Organizational Dynamics, 44(2), 97–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Authentic leadership: A positive developmental approach. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship (pp. 241–261). San Francisco: Barrett-Koehler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynham, S. A., & Chermack, T. J. (2006). Responsible leadership for performance: A theoretical model and hypotheses. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 12(4), 73–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maak, T., & Pless, N. M. (2006). Responsible leadership in a stakeholder society—a relational perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 66(1), 99–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maak, T., & Pless, N. M. (2008). Responsible leadership in a globalized world: A cosmopolitan perspective. In A. G. Scherer & G. Palazzo (Eds.), Handbook of research on global corporate citizenship (pp. 430–454). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maak, T., & Pless, N. M. (2009). Business leaders as citizens of the world. Advancing humanism on a global scale. Journal of Business Ethics, 88(3), 537–550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margolis, J. D., & Walsh, J. P. (2003). Misery loves companies: Rethinking social initiatives by business. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48(2), 268–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maritz, R., Pretorius, M., & Plant, K. (2011). Exploring the interface between strategy–making and responsible leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1(Supp. 1)), 101–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2008). “Implicit” and “explicit” CSR: A conceptual framework for a comparative understanding of corporate social responsibility. The Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 404–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mendenhall, M. E. (2013). Leadership and the birth of global leadership. In M. E. Mendenhall, J. S. Osland, A. Bird, G. R. Oddou, M. L. Maznevski, M. J. Stevens, & G. K. Stahl (Eds.), Global leadership: Research, practice, and development (2nd ed., pp. 1–20). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendenhall, M. E., Osland, J. S., Bird, A., Oddou, G. R., Maznevski, M. L., Stevens, M. J., & Stahl, G. K. (2013). Global leadership: Research, practice and development (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendenhall, M. E., Reiche, B. S., Bird, A., & Osland, J. S. (2012). Defining the “global” in global leadership. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 493–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mischel, W. (1973). Toward a cognitive social learning reconceptualization of personality. Psychological Review, 80(4), 252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miska, C., Hilbe, C., & Mayer, S. (2014). Reconciling different views on responsible leadership: A rationality–based approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 125(2), 349–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miska, C., Stahl, G. K., & Mendenhall, M. E. (2013). Intercultural competencies as antecedents of responsible global leadership. European Journal of International Management, 7(5), 550–569.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, R. K., Agle, B. R., & Wood, D. J. (1997). Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts. The Academy of Management Review, 22(4), 853–886.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, G., Campbell, J. L., Crouch, C., Pedersen, O. K., & Whitley, R. (2010). The Oxford handbook of comparative institutional analysis (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Osland, J. S., Taylor, S., & Mendenhall, M. E. (2011). Global leadership: Progress and challenges. In R. S. Bhagat & R. M. Steers (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of culture, organizations, and work (pp. 245–271). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    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 

  • Patterson, K. A. (2003). Servant leadership: A theoretical model. Regent University.

  • Patzer, M., Voegtlin, C., & Scherer, A. G. (2013). Globally responsible leadership: Towards a political conception. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), Florida.

  • Pearce, C. L., & Conger, J. A. (2002). Shared leadership: Reframing the hows and whys of leadership. Thousand Oak: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, C. L., & Sims, H. P. (2001). Shared leadership: Toward a multi–level theory of leadership. Advances in Interdisciplinary Studies of Work Teams, 7, 115–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, C. L., & Stahl, G. K. (2015). Introduction to the special issue: The leadership imperative for sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Organizational Dynamics, 44(2), 83–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, C. L., Wassenaar, C. L., & Manz, C. C. (2014). Is shared leadership the key to responsible leadership? The Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), 275–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pless, N. M. (2007). Understanding responsible leadership: Role identity and motivational drivers. Journal of Business Ethics, 74(4), 437–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pless, N. M., & Maak, T. (2011). Responsible leadership: Pathways to the future. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1(Supp. 1)), 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pless, N. M., Maak, T., & de Jongh, D. (2011a). Foreword to special issue on “Responsible Leadership”. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1(Supp. 1)), 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pless, N. M., Maak, T., & Stahl, G. K. (2011b). Developing responsible global leaders through international service–learning programs: The Ulysses experience. The Academy of Management Learning and Education, 10(2), 237–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pless, N. M., Maak, T., & Waldman, D. A. (2012). Different approaches toward doing the right thing: Mapping the responsibility orientations of leaders. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(4), 51–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pless, N. M., Maak, T., Waldman, D. A., & Wang, D. (2014). Development of a measure of responsible leadership. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2014, p. 12973). Academy of Management.

  • Pless, N. M., Stahl, G. K., & Voegtlin, C. (2015). EGOS sub–theme 57: Responsible leadership: Addressing social, environmental and business implications of leadership. Retrieved April 29, 2015, from http://www.egosnet.org/jart/prj3/egos/main.jart?rel=de&reserve-mode=active&content-id=1392376003637&subtheme_id=1368705987343.

  • Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2006). The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 84(12), 78–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quigley, N. R., Sully de Luque, M. F., & House, R. J. (2005). Responsible leadership and governance in a global context: Insights from the GLOBE study. In J. P. Doh & S. A. Stumpf (Eds.), Handbook on responsible leadership and governance in global business (pp. 352–379). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, S. A. (1973). The economic theory of agency: The principal’s problem. The American Economic Review, 63(2), 134–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sackmann, S. A. (2005). Responsible leadership: A cross–cultural perspective. In J. P. Doh & S. A. Stumpf (Eds.), Handbook on responsible leadership and governance in global business (pp. 307–331). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scherer, A. G., & Palazzo, G. (2007). Toward a political conception of corporate responsibility: Business and society seen from a Habermasian perspective. The Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 1096–1120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scherer, A. G., Palazzo, G., & Matten, D. (2009). Introduction to the special issue: Globalization as a challenge for business responsibilities. Business Ethics Quarterly, 19(3), 327–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, J. (2012). Social network analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Currency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, D. S. (2014). Responsible leadership. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), 221–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simha, A., & Cullen, J. (2012). Ethical climates and their effects on organizational outcomes—implications from the past, and prophecies for the future. The Academy of Management Perspectives., 26(4), 20–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, W. K., & Lewis, M. W. (2011). Toward a theory of paradox: A dynamic equilibrium model of organizing. Academy of Management Review, 36(2), 381–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, W. K., & Tushman, M. L. (2005). Managing strategic contradictions: A top management model for managing innovation streams. Organization Science, 16(5), 522–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonenshein, S. (2007). The role of construction, intuition, and justification in responding to ethical issues at work: The sensemaking-intuition model. The Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 1022–1040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stahl, G. K., Pless, N. M., & Maak, T. (2013). Responsible global leadership. In M. E. Mendenhall, J. S. Osland, A. Bird, G. R. Oddou, M. L. Maznevski, M. J. Stevens, & G. K. Stahl (Eds.), Global leadership: Research, practice, and development (2nd ed., pp. 240–259). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahl, G. K., & Sully de Luque, M. F. (2014). Antecedents of responsible leader behavior: A research synthesis, conceptual framework, and agenda for future research. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), 235–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treviño, L. K. (1990). A cultural perspective on changing and developing organizational ethics. Research in Organizational Change and Development, 4(2), 195–230.

    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 

  • Treviño, L. K., den Nieuwenboer, N. A., & Kish-Gephart, J. J. (2014). (Un) ethical behavior in organizations. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 635–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Marrewijk, M. (2003). Concepts and definitions of CSR and corporate sustainability: Between agency and communion. Journal of Business Ethics, 44(2–3), 95–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voegtlin, C. (2011). Development of a scale measuring discursive responsible leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1(Supp.1)), 57–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voegtlin, C. (2015). What does it mean to be responsible? Addressing the missing responsibility dimension in ethical leadership research. Leadership, 1742715015578936, 1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voegtlin, C., Patzer, M., & Scherer, A. G. (2012). Responsible leadership in global business: A new approach to leadership and its multi–level outcomes. Journal of Business Ethics, 105(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voegtlin, C., & Pless, N. M. (2014). Global governance: CSR and the role of the UN Global Compact. Journal of Business Ethics, 122(2), 179–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waddock, S. A., Bodwell, C., & Graves, S. B. (2002). Responsibility: The new business imperative. The Academy of Management Executive, 16(2), 132–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A. (2011). Moving forward with the concept of responsible leadership: Three caveats to guide theory and research. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(1(Supp.1)), 75–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A., Balthazard, P. A., & Peterson, S. J. (2011). Leadership and neuroscience: Can we revolutionize the way that inspirational leaders are identified and developed? The Academy of Management Perspectives, 25(1), 60–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A., & Balven, R. (2014). Responsible leadership: Theoretical issues and research directions. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), 224–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A., & Galvin, B. M. (2008). Alternative perspectives of responsible leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 37(4), 327–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A., & Siegel, D. S. (2008). Defining the socially responsible leader. Leadership Quarterly, 19(1), 117–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A., Siegel, D. S., & Javidan, M. (2006a). Components of CEO transformational leadership and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Management Studies, 43(8), 1703–1725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldman, D. A., Sully de Luque, M. F., Washburn, N., House, R. J., Adetoun, B., Barrasa, A., et al. (2006b). Cultural and leadership predictors of corporate social responsibility values of top management: A GLOBE study of 15 countries. Journal of International Business Studies, 37(6), 823–837.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt, M. A., & Redding, G. (2012). The spirits of corporate social responsibility: Senior executive perceptions of the role of the firm in society in Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the USA. Socio-Economic Review, 10(1), 109–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt, M. A., & Stahl, G. K. (2015). Foundations of responsible leadership: Asian versus Western executive responsibility orientations toward key stakeholders. Journal of Business Ethics, 1–16. doi:10.1007/s10551-014-2534-8.

  • Woiceshyn, J. (2011). A model for ethical decision making in business: Reasoning, intuition, and rational moral principles. Journal of Business Ethics, 104(3), 311–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, S., & Yang, R. (2010). Indigenous characteristics of Chinese corporate social responsibility conceptual paradigm. Journal of Business Ethics, 93(2), 321–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Business and Trade, Institute for International Business, WU Vienna, Welthandelsplatz 1, Building D1, 1020, Vienna, Austria

    Christof Miska

  2. College of Business, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37403, USA

    Mark E. Mendenhall

Authors
  1. Christof Miska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark E. Mendenhall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christof Miska.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Miska, C., Mendenhall, M.E. Responsible Leadership: A Mapping of Extant Research and Future Directions. J Bus Ethics 148, 117–134 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2999-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2999-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation