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University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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Conclusions<br />

Matching Individual, Organizational and Societal Responsible Leadership<br />

684<br />

Responsible leadership achieves best results when high levels <strong>of</strong> individual,<br />

organizational and societal leadership responsibility coincide. Mahatma Gandhi was<br />

not just an individual responsible leader, but he made the citizens, politicians and the<br />

Indian National Congress act responsibly. His influence is still evident in the<br />

individuals, organizations and government <strong>of</strong> India. He has had a great impact even<br />

on the business world <strong>of</strong> India. Gandhi (1908/1951) suggested an “Ethical Model” in<br />

which companies voluntarily committed to public welfare and participated in nation<br />

building (Sharma, Agarwal & Ketola 2009). For example the mission <strong>of</strong> a current<br />

major Indian company, Tata Group (2009), is to improve the quality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>of</strong> the<br />

communities it serves. You can see Gandhi’s handprint in all areas <strong>of</strong> Indian society.<br />

In the same way contemporary responsible individuals can influence other<br />

individuals, organizations and societies to become responsible. Moreover,<br />

responsible organizations can develop responsible individuals and work together to<br />

build responsible societies. And responsible societies will then grow responsible<br />

individuals and organizations. Table 1 summarizes the characteristics <strong>of</strong> a<br />

responsible leadership identity for individuals, organizations and societies.

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