Dante in the Workplace: How Leaders Can Avoid the Seven Deadly Sins

How can leaders learn to embrace humility to foster collaboration? How can gratitude be cultivated to foster an environment of comradery? And how do leaders practice emotional intelligence in different situations to navigate conflicts and make rational decisions?

Blending classical literature and philosophy, this latest book from Professor Santiago Iniguez draws inspiration from Dante Alighieri’s ＂Purgatorio＂ to explore how leaders can cultivate management virtues to counter the vices that hinder organizational success. Taking readers on a captivating journey, this book contains real-world anecdotes from business situations to offer valuable insights for modern-day leaders.

Beginning with an introduction to ＂Purgatorio＂, where the protagonist, guided by the poet Virgil -who in the book is featured as a Chatbot-, ascends the mountain of purgatory, overcoming various vices that symbolize the human condition. Each terrace of the mountain represents a specific vice, and as Dante confronts them, he purifies his soul to achieve the virtues needed to reach paradise. Drawing parallels from Dante’s journey, the book delves into the realm of leadership and organizational management, where leaders are faced with their own set of vices in the form of workplace challenges. It explores:

Pride vs. humility Envy vs. gratitude Wrath vs. patience Sloth vs. diligence Greed vs. generosity Gluttony and Lust vs. moderation

With real-life anecdotes from different industries, showcasing how leaders encountered and effectively countered these vices through the cultivation of management virtues, the book offers a unique and valuable perspective on leadership, decision making and organizational dynamics.

Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño is the President of IE University, Spain, Professor of Strategic Management, and a recognized influencer in global higher education. He was the first recipient of the Founders Award by Thinkers50, the prestigious global ranking of thoughtful leaders in Management.

Iñiguez is a founder and board member of Headspring, a joint venture between IE Business School and the Financial Times, offering custom programs for companies. He is the author of The Learning Curve (2011), Cosmopolitan Managers (2016), In An Ideal Business (2020), and Philosophy Inc. (2023). He is also co-editor of Business Despite Borders (2018), and Executive Education After The Pandemic (2021), all published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Iñiguez is a regular speaker at international conferences and frequently contributes in different journals and media on leadership and executive development.