How Could Henrik Ibsen’s Plays Contribute to Humanizing Business and Nurturing the Development of Ethical Leadership?

Abstract

Henryk Ibsen represented various historically-based distortions (idealism, unbearable guilt, abuses of the will to power, moral corruption) of our being-free. Ibsen believed that free will could be safeguarded, regardless of dehumanizing phenomena. Ibsen’s philosophical approach implies existentially-based human freedom: existing is being-free. Our being-free could be strongly undermined by two basic phenomena: idealism and the unbearable guilt are reducing the scope of individual freedom; being-free is threatened by moral corruption and the abuses of the will-to-power. Ibsen’s philosophical perspective could nurture the development of ethical leadership. Ibsen considered that free will requires an attitude of strong criticism towards the existential forms of dehumanization. Ethical leaders would criticize any ideological thinking as well as any attempt to transform a given ideal into an ideological thought. They would be open to others’ criticism and tolerant towards other ideals, without ever claiming to hold absolute truths. Ethical leaders would find out a balance between moral universalism (existential categories such as guilt and suffering) and moral relativism (contexts). Ethical leaders would ever use domination and destruction to put harm on life processes and virtues. They would strongly criticize anarchy, tyranny, and blind nationalism as denying the primacy of life processes and virtues. Ethical leaders would seek for a balance between the revolutionary spirit (focusing on social justice), the respect for basic human rights, and the search for common good. Ethical leaders would ever lie, cheat, and be hypocritical. They would develop moral education in the organizational setting. Ibsen promoted the courage to be oneself and the courage to criticize the will-to-truth. Ethical leaders would help organizational members not to lose their hope and not to fall into absolute doubt. They would strengthen personal confidence and trust towards others, regardless of circumstances. Ethical leaders would focus on the courage to live with-others in the organizational setting and the need to acknowledge the radical otherness of every self as well as its changing nature. They would believe that human mind is led by conscious and unconscious processes and motives. Ethical leaders would set up activities in which organizational members could realize themselves. They would enhance honesty and fairness, while criticizing any distortion of the will-to-truth.