Abstract
Spirituality in the workplace and theories of complexity are two emerging fields of research that are making an important contribution to the study of leadership practice. In this chapter we take the opportunity of the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the former British Empire to reflect on related ideas from these fields and apply them to a study of leadership in this movement. Our focus is the influence in Georgian society of William Wilberforce and the ‘Clapham Group’ from 1789 until the passing of the Slave Trade Act in 1807. This case study is chosen because of the extensive literature that details both the overt role of spirituality in the practice of this group and the issues of complexity in this social and political campaign.
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© 2008 Peter Simpson and Clifford Hill
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Simpson, P., Hill, C. (2008). Leadership, Spirituality and Complexity: Wilberforce and the Abolition of the Slave Trade. In: James, K.T., Collins, J. (eds) Leadership Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230584068_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230584068_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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