Call for paper: Is there room for compassion in strategic leadership?

Is there room for compassion in strategic leadership?

This special issue of Strategy and Leadership invites submissions that explore the interplay—sometimes seen as tension—between strategic leadership (SL) and compassionate leadership (CL). CL and SL often appear to be antagonistic.

The special issue aims to reframe this apparent dichotomy. Rather than treating strategic and compassionate leadership as mutually exclusive, we seek to examine the potential integration of the two. We suggest that a liminal space exists between strategic leadership and compassionate leadership, one where compassion can be placed at the centre of strategy, and strategy at the centre of compassion, ensuring both organisational survival and sustainable development (Stajkovic & Stajkovic, 2024).

However, while recognising the vital role of compassionate leadership in shaping organisational ethos in contemporary workplaces, we also acknowledge its paradoxes (Araújo et al., 2019). Thus, we invite contributions to this special issue that explore the challenge of integrating these two concepts. We are particularly interested in contributions that explore the paradoxes, tensions, and possibilities of integrating CL and SL—whether through theoretical, empirical, or practice-based inquiry.

List of topic areas

We welcome submissions to this special issue that address the following non-exhaustive list of questions:

Can compassion be embedded at the core of strategy, and if so, how?
Is the perceived antagonism between SL and CL insurmountable, or can it be constructively reframed?
How can leaders maintain strategic clarity while promoting organisational care and well-being?
What leadership practices enable the mutual reinforcement of compassion and strategic intent?
How can leaders act for the common good while maintaining a clear strategic vision?
Can keeping purpose at the core of leadership serve as a bridge between compassion and strategy?
How do organisational culture, context, or sector affect the viability of CL–SL integration?
What leadership models or frameworks best capture the intersection of these two approaches?
What vocabulary and metaphors help us articulate the synthesis of compassion and strategy?
How do leaders navigate the paradoxes of simultaneously being strategic and compassionate?
What empirical evidence exists to support the effectiveness of a leadership approach that synthesises compassion and strategy?
What are the ethical and practical implications of embedding compassion into strategic leadership at different organisational levels?

We welcome theoretical, empirical, and practice-based contributions that engage with these questions and offer fresh insights into the evolving landscape of leadership.

Submissions information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here.

Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see here.

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”.

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.