Integrating Stewardship into the Management and Leadership paradigm for a Regenerative Future

Abstract

For several decades, global management discourse has been anchored in neoliberal doctrines that prioritise shareholder value and individual prosperity. This ‘me-we’ paradigm, focused on individual actors and organisations seeking to optimise welfare in a competitive, market-driven landscape, has proven structurally inadequate to address the escalating pressures of climate change, resource depletion, and social fragmentation. This paper advocates a profound paradigmatic transition towards a ‘we-all’ perspective, a governance model in which the collective common good prevails without compromising individual well-being. As a position paper, this work centres on conceptually reconstructing the governance triad: Management, Leadership, and Stewardship. By theoretically deconstructing these distinct cognitive orientations, the paper argues that while Management focuses on rationalisation and optimisation and Leadership on innovation and creativity, Stewardship provides the essential focus on future-orientation, continuity, and the responsible care of resources. Through this conceptual lens, we highlight that the essential challenge for modern organisations lies in balancing this triad to ensure that organisational self-interest remains subordinate to the general interest. Furthermore, the paper deconstructs the prevailing ‘extractive’ logic—the systematic taking of resources and labour without replenishment—and contrasts it with a regenerative economic model. It critically analyses the limitations of universal monetisation, particularly the ‘financialisation of the Earth’. It argues that quantifying biodiversity and ecological functions in purely monetary terms collapses complex, non-linear systems into discrete commodities, reinforcing the anthropocentric and extractive mindsets that a regenerative economy seeks to replace. To facilitate this shift, the research calls for a fundamental re-evaluation of the dogmas of psychological ownership, absolute scarcity, and egocentrism. The paper concludes that integrating stewardship into institutional governance is not merely an ethical choice but a systemic necessity for survival in a physically finite world. By adopting a ‘Me-We-All’ approach, organisations can move beyond past destructive dogmas and foster a resilient society in which every action strengthens the system for future generations.