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Human Relations
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Towards a theory of being-centered leadership: Multiple levels of being as context for effective leadership

Louis Fry

College of Business Administration at Tarleton State University, Central Texas, fry{at}tarleton.edu

Mark Kriger

Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, Norway, and Alliant International University in Los Angeles, California, mark.kriger{at}bi.no

This article proposes and develops a theory of leadership that utilizes five levels of being as context for effective leadership: 1) the physical world; 2) the world of images and imagination; 3) the level of the soul; 4) the level of the Spirit; and 5) the non-dual level. We first explore how each of the five levels of being provides a means for advancing both the theory and the practice of leadership. Second, we utilize these five levels to create the foundation for a theory of leadership based on being that goes beyond current theory which emphasizes having and doing — either having appropriate traits and competencies or doing appropriate actions depending on the situation. We present propositions for future research as we discuss each of the five levels of being. Finally, we discuss implications for leadership development and future research that arise from such a being-centered leadership theory.

Key Words: leadership context • leadership effectiveness • leadership ontology and epistemology • spiritual leadership • workplace spirituality

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This version was published on November 1, 2009

Human Relations, Vol. 62, No. 11, 1667-1696 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726709346380
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