The NHH Norwegian School of Economics and the European SPES organized an international workshop on “European Literature and the Ethics of Leadership” in May 2–4, 2008 in Bergen, Norway.
The aim of the workshop was to explore European literature for leadership ethics. Papers were invited to focus on the myths and stories of European literature: Odyssey, Orpheus, Antigone, The Holy Grail, Hamlet, Don Quixote, Robinson Crusoe, Faust, Peer Gynt, etc. and to link them to contemporary issues of leadership. More than socio-economic or ethical models, European literature confronts us with the existential, tragic, and heroic dimensions of leadership.
Papers presented in the workshop were as follows:
Luk Bouckaert and Rita Ghesquiere (Catholic University of Leuven): The Faustian Idea of Entrepreneurship
Ingrid Molderez (HUB–European University College) and Eric Lefebvre (Hasselt University): The Horizon’s Embrace (Faust)
Carlos Hoevel (Pontificial Catholic University of Argentina): Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks, Adorno’s Odysseus and the Tragedy of Business Leadership
Daniel Deak (Corvinus University of Budapest): Don Carlos versus Marquis of Posa
Gerrit De Vylder (Catholic University of Leuven): Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels
Hendrik Opdebeeck (University of Antwerp): Orpheus. The Determining Role of Technology in Business and Leadership
Ove Jakobsen (Bodo Graduate School of Business): Well-being in the Perspective of Plato’s Dialogue “Timaeus”
Knut Ims (NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen) and Laszlo Zsolnai (Corvinus University of Budapest): Peer Gynt and Self-realization
Tom Eide (Diakonhjemmet University College, Oslo): Ibsen, Leadership, and Morality
Imre Lazar (Semmelweis Medical University of Budapest): “La Divina Commedia” and “The Tragedy of Man”
Odile Heynders (Tilburg University): A Roman Emperor, Prefect and a Medieval Ruler. Leadership in European Literature: a Gender Perspective
Lars Jacob Tynes Pedersen (NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen): Learning from Ambiguity: Three Alternate Readings of Camus’ The Stranger
Sunniva Whittaker (NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen): Bergson’s Laughter
Yvon Pequeux (CNAM Paris): Cyrano de Bergerac
Johan Bouwer (Alba University, The Netherlands): The Little Prince and Leadership
Sanjoy Mukherjee (Indian Institute of Management Calcutta): New Light from Planets Afar: Leadership Journey with “The Little Prince”
The conference resulted in the book “Heroes and Anti-heroes: European Literature and the Ethics of Leadership” published by Garant in 2010.