ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the conditions for wise organizational leadership. Contemporary leadership must be considered in the context of a complex world where global shifts in economic power, new geo-political confi gurations, and potential environmental catastrophe must be confronted. Businesses can no longer claim that “the business of business is business”, as Milton Friedman (1970) asserted. Although it was never true, businesses were able to hide behind this mantra for a considerable time until the counter discourses of environmentalists, feminists, consumers, local communities, and emerging economies forced governments and businesses to accommodate their claims. From this dialectical challenge, hybrid discourses emerged, such as corporate social responsibility, triple bottom line, sustainability, and stakeholders.
