Leading Regenerative Transformation: Cognitive Frame Characteristics Shaping Leaders' Approaches to Organizational Development

Leonie Paul, Juha Väätänen, Hardik Bhimani and Anne‐Laure Mention

Business Strategy and the Environment, 2025, vol. 34, issue 8, 10997-11023

Abstract: As the urgency to address global crises such as climate change and inequality intensifies, the concept of regenerative development has emerged as a transformative approach going beyond sustainability to actively restore and enhance both ecological and social systems. This study investigates what characterizes and informs the thoughts (and actions) of leaders advocating for regenerative development. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of 41 podcast interviews with 44 high‐level leaders from diverse organizations, the research reveals four key cognitive frame characteristics: biophilia, humility, integrity, and mutualism. These characteristics provide unique lenses through which regenerative leaders view their roles and responsibilities, emphasizing deep care for both nature and society. Our findings highlight the critical importance of leaders' cognitive development in driving the transformative change required for a sustainable and regenerative future and offer a structured tool for assessing these cognitive frames in practice.

Date: 2025
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