Interpreting the Meaning of Ethical and Spiritual Leadership among Senior Executives in Sharia-Based Business Organizations
Keywords:
Sharia Business Management, Phenomenology, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Islamic Leadership, Spiritual Integrity, Ethical Decision-MakingAbstract
Leadership in Sharia Business Management represents a dynamic intersection between spirituality, ethics, and organizational decision-making. Within this field, increasing attention has been given to understanding how Islamic values shape managerial behavior and strategic integrity. However, little is known about the lived experience of Sharia business leaders how they internalize, interpret, and apply faith-based principles such as amanah and maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah when navigating ethical and economic challenges. This study adopts a phenomenological approach, specifically Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), to explore how Sharia business leaders integrate Islamic spirituality into their leadership practices and strategic reasoning. The research was conducted within the bounded context of Islamic enterprises operating in Indonesia, focusing specifically on executives responsible for strategic decision-making. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten leaders from Islamic enterprises in Indonesia and analyzed thematically to uncover the essence of their lived experiences. The findings reveal that leadership in Islamic contexts functions as a spiritual and moral journey, characterized by faith-driven reflection, ethical resilience, and the pursuit of barakah as a performance paradigm. These results demonstrate that effective leadership in Sharia-based organizations is not defined by technical efficiency alone but by spiritual integrity and moral accountability. This research enriches the theoretical understanding of Islamic leadership by linking phenomenological meaning-making with management practice, offering a foundation for future cross-cultural and longitudinal studies in faith-based leadership and organizational ethics.
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