Five principles that will determine the new mainstream : Spirituality, meaning, inter‐being, leadership and empathy: SMILE

Purpose – This paper aims to present an emerging, human‐resource‐based paradigm in organizational thinking. Design/methodology/approach – Reviews macro changes of the first decade in the twenty‐first century, focuses on previous‐century mainstream thinking and its weaknesses, and then presents the five principles that encompass the “new” mainstream. Findings – Calls for organizational leaders, particularly principals in human resources, to seriously consider nurturing these principles in order to contribute to the better general well‐being of the organization and all its stakeholders. Practical implications – Argues that an outdated mindset still lies at the foundation of managerial thinking in many organizations, and that this mindset should be rectified, so that recurrences of past‐decade corporate calamities can be avoided. Social implications – Highlights the interconnected approach and influence of the SMILE principles for corporate workers and the society at large. Originality/value – Introduces, in an easily understandable format, a set of principles that have been considered inappropriate in corporate settings, but that have proved their merit in high‐performing organizations.