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Repentance and Continuous Improvement: Ethical Implications for the Modern Leader

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Abstract

Although leadership of organizations rarely is discussed in terms of the religious construct of repentance, we propose that repentance and continuous improvement are closely related ideas that profoundly impact individuals and organizations. We identify six parallels between repentance and continuous improvement and then show how these parallels apply to the fundamental principles associated with highly regarded leadership perspectives. We conclude by identifying five contributions of the article to the management literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Georgia, Athens, GA, U.S.A.

    Cam Caldwell, Ryan Atkins & Stefan M. Dowdell

  2. Weber State University, Ogden, UT, U.S.A.

    Rolf D. Dixon

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  1. Cam Caldwell
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  2. Rolf D. Dixon
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  3. Ryan Atkins
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  4. Stefan M. Dowdell
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Correspondence to Cam Caldwell.

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Caldwell, C., Dixon, R.D., Atkins, R. et al. Repentance and Continuous Improvement: Ethical Implications for the Modern Leader. J Bus Ethics 102, 473–487 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0825-x

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