ABSTRACT
Love is an emerging area of interest for leadership and organizational scholars, yet little is known empirically about the efficacy of the practice of love in the workplace. This chapter describes the Seven Desires model as a way to conceptualize practical expressions of love in the workplace. It reviews extant theories related to love and leadership and shows how the various components of the model are seen embedded in extant areas of the organizational and leadership literature. It also shares the results of an exploratory study that sought to demonstrate an empirical connection between the model and the outcomes of job satisfaction and work engagement. A random sample (n=79) of participants was given a survey to assess perceived indicators of leadership love. The results showed a correlation between the variables of the model and the outcomes, as well as the cohesion of the seven factors, but could demonstrate causation between any of the variables and the outcomes. Explanations and suggestions for further theorizing and research are given.
