The Impact of Distinct Attributes of Abrahamic Religions on Leadership Theory

Religion is a social characteristic of present societies, yet has been largely neglected in leadership theory. The paper addresses this shortcoming by contributing to a religious perspective on leadership. I outline how three distinct attributes of Abrahamic religions, namely a belief in the existence of and relationship to a God, the faith in and pursuit of an eschatological purpose, and the belief in and attempted adherence to a sacred scripture, can impact leadership. Subsequently, I classify two approaches towards examining the characteristics of such a religious perspective on leadership: a scripture-based and an empirical-based one. I highlight implications by both presenting an Islamic perspective and by connecting the distinctive attributes to established theories of leadership. Finally, I mention limitations, areas for future research and conclude.