ISLAMIC VALUES, LEADERSHIP LEGITIMACY AND ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY

The legitimacy of leadership is an important concern for any organization. A legitimate leader will be readily accepted by organizational members, thereby facilitating the achievement of organizational goals. The legitimacy of leadership is not only concerned about the legal aspect, but also moral and psychological aspects. This article proposes a conceptual framework of leadership, based on Islamic values as the main thrust of leadership legitimacy. Given that in Islam, legal and ethical values are integrated, a leader is expected to internalize the Islamic core values and realize them in his organization. Moreover, Islamic core values are implemented in conjunction with task-related values, leading to a comprehensive treatment of organizational leadership. As a logical development, organizational members will confer legitimacy on the leader and become loyal and committed followers. In this respect, the Conceptual Framework of Islamic Leadership (CFIL), which is in congruence with the concept organization sustainability, is a holistic approach in understanding leadership legitimacy.