Thinking about doing the right thing: Mapping the responsibility mindsets of leaders

In this article we map the responsibility mindsets of business leaders. We specifically share the results of a qualitative study of 25 top-level business leaders and entrepreneurs and present four distinct RL mindsets. From this study, we develop a framework of RL mindsets that represents the core narratives of practitioners. After we reveal the distinctive differences in the RL mindset held by various business leaders, we discuss to what extent these different mindsets affect actual decision making and the construction of public trust. We conclude that a new narrative of "integrative responsible leadership" that emerges from the practical discourse has the potential to strengthen the contract between business and society - and thus help close the trust gap. Finally, we reflect on some implications for leadership development and management education.