Leadership Values Influencing Decision-Making:An Examination of Nine Islamic, Hindu, and Christian Nonprofit Institutions in the US

The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between decisionmaking, values, and leadership. The study argues that the values of individual leaders can shape the processes of decision-making. Participant observation, content analysis of institutional archives, and structured interview methods are utilized in nine American nonprofit institutions that represent three major faiths in the country, namely Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. The study indicates there are four major organizational values that can characterize decision-making, namely emphasis on learning, balancing human and organizational interests, mutuality, and self-criticism. The study reports that these values create an organizational culture that dominates the decision-making process, and makes it a cultural phenomenon within the institution. The paper discusses the implications of these findings and their relationship with organizational change.