Promoting human dignity in culturally diverse teams

PhD research at the University of Humanistic Studies

The global potential of
humanistic management

Leading a global team is not easy. It requires intercultural competence to lead such teams effectively, which basically means being able to recognise, understand and appreciate individual and cultural differences and similarities. Add some flexibility and adaptability in the mix for even better results.

Yet what is good leadership in a global context? Is it getting the team to perform, reaching goals, KPI's, increasing company profit? Or could it be more than just being productive, and could global leaders contribute to creating value, for all stakeholders? Could leaders play a role in protecting human dignity and promoting wellbeing?

The humanistic management model offers an alternative to the predominantly economistic management models. Good leadership in the humanistic leadership paradigm is defined as the type of leadership that is directed at well-being through the promoting of dignity. Yet cultural differences in how human dignity is experienced have consequences for what is considered good leadership; leaders can only adequately protect and promote human dignity if they recognize and understand how their team members give meaning to and experience human dignity. My research aims to explore the potential of the humanistic management model to support global leaders in promoting human dignity in such culturally diverse teams.

1st promotor: Prof. Dr. Patrick Nullens, University of Humanistic Studies

2nd promotor: Prof. Dr. Robert-Jan Blomme, Neyenrode Business University

As a researcher at the University of Humanistic Studies, I co-chair the Dutch Chapter of the Humanistic Management Network, and serve as a reviewer for the Humanistic Management Journal, and the Art of Humanistic Management Journal. I presented on international conferences including the International Leadership Association Global Conference, the European congress of the Society of Intercultural Education Training and Research, and the international conferences of the European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving Learning.

Published Articles

The Experience of Human Dignity in Culturally Diverse Teams

Published March 2026 in

Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities

Leadership as an Art
The Human Voice in Transformative Praxis

Published February 2026 in

Art of Humanistic Management Journal

An Anatomy of Human Dignity: Dissecting the heart of Humanistic Management

Published June 2024 in

Humanistic Management Journal

The Experience of Human Dignity in Culturally Diverse Teams

A Qualitative Study through a Humanistic Lens

Abstract

Based on the humanistic management model and its conceptualization of human dignity as a balance between four universal human drives, we explored differences and similarities in the experience of human dignity among team members working in culturally diverse teams. We interviewed twenty nine team members of culturally diverse teams and used a directed content analysis to learn more about the experience of human dignity in the context of cultural diversity at work. Our research suggests that the four drives underlying the human dignity threshold in the humanistic management model, are recognized as relevant for the experience of human dignity, yet the experience of human dignity is not universal. Contributions to and violations of experienced human dignity manifest in relationships on different levels of the organization, are experienced differently in different organizations, and are experienced in different frequencies by team members with different diversity characteristics. We conclude that the experience of human dignity requires the fulfillment of the four drives on a satisfactory level for all team members, while balancing the tensions between humanizing and dehumanizing organizational practices, inclusive and exclusive team dynamics and caring and power based relations with management.

Authors: Danaë Huijser, Matthijs Bal and Robert Jan Blomme

Published in March 2026 Issue of Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities.

Read the full article here

Leadership as an Art

The Human Voice in Transformative Praxis

Abstract

Transformative leadership adheres to a holistic view of humanity and seeks to express human potential fully. While transformative leadership theory (McCaslin, 2008) reveals the deep structures of human potential, art shows how these structures come alive. We illustrate how the aesthetic dimension of voicing can be illuminated through three interrelated dynamics: Embodied Presence, Rhythmic Flow, and Tonal Imagination. We invite leaders to explore and cultivate the aesthetic quality of their presence – through voice, attention, and care – and approach leadership as a lived art that rehumanises organisational life.

Authors: Danaë Huijser and Stefano Olcese

Published in February 2026 Inaugural issue of the Art of Humanistic Management Journal.

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An anatomy of human dignity

Dissecting the Heart of Humanistic Management

Abstract

Human dignity is introduced in the humanistic management school to distinguish humanistic from economistic perspectives on organizational business practices. Placing human dignity at the core of management leads to a different outlook on doing business, organizing and leading. Within the humanistic management literature, there are several distinct paths to ground human dignity in humanistic management. One school views human dignity as a form of motivation, another focuses on its value-laden components, and still others view human dignity as a form of human development. We introduce relational anthropology as a fourth possibility, emphasizing relationality in the notion of human dignity, with love at its core as the essence of human experience. However, as the experience of human dignity is universally human, culturally specific and extremely personal, interpretations of experienced dignity could be very different for different people. We continue to discuss a cosmopolitan view on human dignity, in which we reject both naïve universalism and lazy relativism, pointing to the challenge of leading moral plurality. We close by summarizing the different approaches to human dignity in a conciliatory framework and outline why we believe an explicit emphasis on qualitative, phenomenological research is the best way forward, bringing love to the stage as the potentially unifying principle for humanistic management.

Authors: Danaë Huijser and Patrick Nullens

Published in the June 2024 Special Edition of the Humanistic Management Journal.

Read the full article here