Leadership and Wisdom ― Lessons from Folklore

Leadership and Wisdom: Lessons from Folklore gives business students and practitioners the opportunity to re-read tales, poems, myths and fables that have been selected and interpreted by leading management scholars and practitioners in order to translate the world’s folk wisdom into actionable lessons.

Most, if not all, cultures and civilizations possess narratives that teach how to make sense of the world and how to respond to challenges with wisdom. These sources provide a foundation for character development and leadership, as well as decision-making in ambiguous and uncertain circumstances, or when facing paradoxes or dilemmas. Indeed, the protagonists of such folk tales offer exemplary illustrations of virtue and vice and of the moral implications that follow from each. Management and organization scholars have focused more and more on what wisdom traditions can teach us about leadership and organizational behavior, and this is the first book designed to bring this research to students. Statler and Küpers have assembled a world class team of contributors. Each is tasked with picking a folk story that is near and dear to them, and reflecting on the lessons offered for management practice. Each contribution will respond to the same categories of analysis, ensuring consistency throughout. Questions at the end of each chapter give students the opportunity to reflect on what they have learned.

This book promises to be a delightful read for all students of leadership, management, and organizational studies.

Matt Statler is the Richman Family Director of Business Ethics and Social Impact Programming and a Clinical Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at NYU Stern School of Business, USA.

Wendelin Kupers is Professor of Leadership and Organization Studies at Karlshochschule International University, Germany.