Responsible Leadership Systems: An Empirical Analysis of Integrating Corporate Responsibility into Leadership Systems

Several global crises such as climate change, the global financial breakdown and corporate corruption scandals have diminished the legitimacy of business. One possible answer to this situation is the concept of corporate responsibility (CR), a voluntary approach aiming at the integration of economic with social, ethical and environmental goals. Erik G. Hansen addresses this gap. Rooted in literature on CR and formal leadership systems he develops a conceptual "Responsible Leadership Systems" framework structuring leadership instruments and tools into seven interconnected key areas. The framework is applied in qualitative multi-case studies in seven of the largest German stock corporations. The results show that leading companies increasingly make CR part of their strategies, structures, management instruments and tools.