Introduction to the André Delbecq Special Issue

Abstract

The collection of articles in this special issue is dedicated to the life and legacy of the late André Delbecq. André was the founding pioneer of the Management, Spirituality, and Management (MSR) Academy of Management interest group. His contributions continue to inspire thought, research, and action related to the promise and practice of spirituality in organizational life. For those who did not (have the fortuitous opportunity to) know André – this collection of papers provides insight to the fact that André brought the “truths” of his personal life and relationships to those of his professional life, and vice versa. The special issue provides a unique contribution in documenting André’s legacy as the pioneering founder of the MSR scholarly domain. Consequently, the articles contained within the special issue consist of both traditional scholarly contributions (e.g., Fry; Neal; Peters & Williams; Williams & Peters; Chappell, Delbecq, and McCready) and more personal, reflexive pieces (e.g., Van de Ven; Aldag; Weiss; Merchant; Long and Fusco; Peregoy). The papers all shed light on André, both as an individual and professional; touching on how his interest in the “whole person” arose out of his own, personal, search to better understand themeaning his own professional activities and successes can have for both himself and for others touched by them. As will be seen here: many, indeed, were profoundly touched by both. Louis (Jody) Fry provides a synthesis of André’s scholarly contributions to the MSR field in The Numinosity of soul: André Delbecq’s legacy for MSR. Fry begins with a succinct description of the spiritual and religious roots of André’s career and the initial motivation for his work in MSR. He reviews André’s corpus of work in the MSR arena by organizing it into three related themes: successful strategies for MSR teaching and scholarship, MSR in organizations, and leadership formation. Fry weaves into the review many of the core ideas that informed André’s work: calling, contemplative practice, manifesting change through leadership and research, subsidiarity, community, compassion, discernment, humility, and love. The article delivers on its promise to provide “a sense of André as the pioneering founder of MSR” (p.?) and serves as a foundation for the special issue by context for the other contributions. In André Delbecq: spiritual mentor and friend Judi Neal draws on interviews with seven people who were deeply impacted by André to distil key themes about his spirituality, his presence, and how he showed up as a friend and mentor. Neal’s up close and personal exploration provides insight into André’s behavioral choices throughout his career, from how one student experienced him as a young scholar to his modeling of spiritually mature leadership in the latter stages of his life. For those who crossed paths with André, the article will resonate and perhaps place their experience within a greater JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION 2020, VOL. 17, NO. 1, 1–4 https://doi.org/10.1080/14766086.2019.1708432