Management and Franciscan Spirituality as a Source for Personal and Organizational Transformation

Abstract

Every organization is subject to an ongoing process of change. Modern leadership theories such as transformational leadership and the management concept of a learning organization provide the framework for transformation processes in today’s professional world, referring to structures, processes, and technology. However, to be sustainably successful and creative requires an approach that places people at the center in connection to the system where he or she is living. The example of St. Francis of Assisi and his 800-year-old religious movement can be a significant stimulus for integrative individual and collective transformation in organizations. St. Francis himself represented a radical way of life. He established an attitude based on love towards people and God and considered it his mission in life to live the gospel. This is defined as a state of constant personal development, a state of being in motion, which forms the basis of his life philosophy and that of the Franciscan community to this day. He combines personal and collective transformation. The combination of modern management approaches and the Franciscan ideal can therefore be an approach that can provide new potential for a successful transformation process. In this chapter, essential statements of management concepts and the Franciscan tradition on change management will be presented and first attempts for a collation will be discussed.