Leadership, understood as Dharma.
Dharmic Values-Based Leadership (DVBL) integrates Indian Knowledge Systems — Dharma, Nishkama Karma, Lokasangraha — with contemporary leadership theory into one framework of nine dimensions.
Three concepts, one normative base.
DVBL treats these not as religious doctrine, but as universal values applicable to any organisation.
Dharma
Righteous duty. The moral base of leadership — justice, integrity, transparency, and accountable decision-making that balances organisational aims with stakeholder interests.
Nishkama Karma
Selfless action. Pursuing organisational goals with commitment and integrity, placing the collective goal above personal gain — the root of mentoring and genuine motivation.
Lokasangraha
Welfare of the world. Leadership's purpose extended beyond organisational effectiveness to collective well-being, inclusiveness, and sustainable value creation.
Dharma is not invented.
It is discovered — like a galaxy already turning.
The same law that holds a spiral galaxy in coherent motion — every arm, every star in relation to the whole — is the law DVBL asks leadership to mirror: individual duty in service of a larger, self-sustaining order.
Three pillars. Nine dimensions.
Each foundation operationalises into a pillar of leadership behaviour, each pillar into three concrete dimensions.
Ethical Governance
Revolves around righteousness, justice, and responsible leadership. Complements contemporary Ethical, Authentic and Inclusive Leadership theory.
Justice, Fairness & Transparency
Impartial decision-making that builds organisational trust.
Accountability
Leaders answer for their decisions and organisational outcomes.
Inclusion
A culture where every viewpoint is considered and employees shape decisions.
Human-Centred Leadership
Selfless action performed for a purpose beyond gain. Aligns with Transformational, Servant and Spiritual Leadership.
Mentoring
Training future leaders through knowledge and skill transfer.
Motivation
Inspiring commitment by connecting work to meaningful purpose.
Team Spirit Building
Deliberately fostering collaboration across the organisation.
Collective Welfare & Purpose
Leadership as an instrument for societal well-being and sustainability, extending beyond contemporary leadership theory.
Oneness
Empathy, interconnectivity and mutual respect within the organisation.
Sacrifice
Choosing organisational interest and ethics over personal benefit.
Cause Before Self
Mission-based leadership where effort aligns to organisational purpose.
How DVBL reaches performance.
The proposed model traces a chain from leadership behaviour to sustainable organisational outcomes.
Leadership behaviour
Employee trust
Psychological safety
Engagement & commitment
Ethical climate
Sustainable performance
Not a replacement — an integration.
DVBL builds on established theories rather than competing with them.
Where does your leadership sit?
Rate yourself, 1–5, on each of the nine dimensions. This is a reflective tool, not a validated instrument — the DVBL Scale (DVBLS) is proposed for future empirical research.
Adjust the sliders and generate your profile to see it mapped against the nine DVBL dimensions.
A framework built to travel across sectors.
Business
Ethical governance, trust between employer and employee, sustainability.
Public Administration
Transparent governance, accountability, citizen-oriented leadership.
Healthcare
Compassionate leadership, teamwork, ethical decision-making.
Education
Mentoring, inclusive environments, academic leadership.
Armed Forces
Sacrifice, discipline, teamwork, mission-oriented leadership.
NGOs
Service orientation, stakeholder engagement, community development.
Six propositions for future study.
Formulated for empirical testing via a proposed Dharmic Values-Based Leadership Scale (DVBLS) and structural equation modelling.
DVBL positively impacts employee trust through ethical governance, justice and accountability.
Employee trust positively influences psychological safety, enabling active, collaborative contribution.
Psychological safety positively impacts engagement and organisational commitment.
DVBL positively affects ethical organisational climate via justice, inclusivity and collective well-being.
Ethical organisational climate mediates the relationship between DVBL and sustainable performance.
DVBL positively impacts sustainable organisational performance through trust, commitment and stakeholder-based leadership.
Frequently asked.
No. Dharma, Nishkama Karma and Lokasangraha are treated as universal values — duty, selfless action, and collective welfare — applicable to any organisation regardless of the individual leader's faith.
Not yet. DVBL is currently a conceptual framework. The six research propositions and the proposed DVBLS are laid out for future empirical testing via structural equation modelling.
The on-page tool is a simple reflective exercise across the nine dimensions, not a validated psychometric instrument. It's meant to prompt self-reflection, not to produce a scientifically normed score.
The framework is proposed as sector-agnostic, with specific relevance sketched out for business, public administration, healthcare, education, the armed forces, and NGOs.
Cite this work.
Dwivedi, S. (2026). Dharmic Values-Based Leadership: An Integrative Framework. Journal of Daoist Studies, 19-9s.