Exploring the connections among spiritual leadership, altruism, and trust in family businesses

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to test the claim that the top manager family members’ altruism and trust with regard to other family members should be connected with these top managers’ spiritual leadership feature. Data are collected from the top manager family members, who are in charge of their family businesses in Beylikduzu Organized Industrial Zone. Many instruments’ items are used for spiritual leadership, altruism and trust. The scope of spiritual leadership is wider than those of altruism and trust; besides references to the family, spiritual leadership also includes references to the participants, their subordinates and their businesses. The participants’ spiritual leadership factors are powerfully and positively related with their altruism and trust with regard to other family members. If altruism and trust are posited to affect spiritual leadership factors, this effect is partly achieved. Only some items of altruism and trust can affect spiritual leadership feature. The literature points out that spiritual leadership is suitable for family businesses on the grounds that intra-family altruism and trust can be related with spiritual leadership feature. The current study proves this relationship. Such knowledge can be used for family business succession, mentoring and coaching applications in family businesses, conflict management towards the issues related with both the family and the business, and structuring family’s involvement in the business.