Achieving triple “P” bottom line through resonant leadership: an Indian perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature on resonant leadership and develop a conceptual framework about the role played by resonant leaders of crisis-ridden firms in developing employees for achieving triple “P” bottom line. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review of literature was conducted from 1994 to 2015 with key words leadership, resonant leadership, and triple “P” bottom line. Related research papers were searched from select databases of Elsevier, Emerald, Sage, Springer, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, and other library services of Proquest, Ebsco, and Scopus. Findings – Resonant leaders motivate their subordinates by being compassionate toward them, showing an overall positive mood, and through guidance for achieving sustainable triple “P” bottom line. India is a secular country that emphasizes on spiritual beliefs as well as on socio-cultural and religious values. Therefore, Indian managers generally adopt these values in their early socialization process by following traditional epics and religious scriptures. They spread positive emotions among their subordinates and raise their level of consciousness by exhibiting altruistic values. Therefore, altruism could be considered as an additional dimension of resonant leadership style of Indian managers for downsized firms. These leaders nurture surviving employees at the time of economic crisis to build a sustainable triple “P” bottom line. Originality/value – Altruism can be considered as a new dimension of resonant leadership style of Indian managers for downsized firms. These leaders provide a sense of psychological security to their employees by developing a value led organization with meaningful vision and an edge over their competitors.