Do You Trust Your Boss? – A Jungian Analysis of Leadership Reliability in CSR

2006

It is essential for corporate social responsibility that staff can trust its leaders. This paper argues that trust in leaders depends on the relationship between the leader’s values, words and actions. If they are in line, employees can trust the leader. If they are not, distrust prevails. Five alternative relationships between values, words and actions can be identified: (1) values = words = actions; (2) values = words != actions; (3) values != words = actions; (4) values != words != actions; and (5) values = actions != words. They can be analysed and interpreted through the Jungian concepts of ego, persona (public ego), shadow and self. In alternative (1) leaders’ Jungian ego has develope…