The welfare organization agenda: Revisiting the epistemological boundaries of management thought based on the writings of Ibn Khaldun

Abstract

Purpose

The role of managers is crucial to achieve holistic organizational goals to benefit the key stakeholders. However, a Western perspective is dominant as management literature where the work of Anglo-Arab philosophers is largely ignored. This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap and promulgate the writings of Ibn Khaldun (a fourteenth-century Muslim philosopher) to advance management knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is primarily based on the review of Ibn Khaldun’s book Muqaddimah.

Findings

This study provides valuable insights to the leaders as well as management practitioners by offering some useful directions to the management researchers for further research. The analysis revealed five themes: Fikr (mindfulness), Ta’awun (cooperation), Ta’akhi (brotherhood), ethical leadership and Adal (justice).

Originality/value

This paper is an original contribution to the extant literature available on organization development and scant literature available on imparting employee welfare agenda in contemporary organization from the perspective of a Muslim philosopher Ibn Khaldun.

Citation

Kashif, M., Ur Rehman, A. and Grigoriou, N. (2018), "The welfare organization agenda: Revisiting the epistemological boundaries of management thought based on the writings of Ibn Khaldun", Society and Business Review, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 184-194. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-11-2017-0095