Manuel Alejandro Gutiérrez González

The illusion of virtue. Systemic reconceptualization of positive action leadership and proposal for common good leadership in universities

Introduction

The illusion of virtue. Systemic reconceptualization of positive action leadership and proposal for common good leadership in universities. Critiques Positive Action Leadership in universities, showing its focus on individual virtue over social effectiveness. Proposes a validated Common Good Leadership model for assessable collective practices.

Abstract

The expansion of leadership programs in higher education has produced a normative overload that emphasizes the individual’s moral intention over the social effectiveness of leadership. This article critically examines the Positive Action Leadership (PAL) model, dominant in an international network of universities, and argues that it represents a pre-scientific stage of institutional leadership. Drawing on Aristotle’s four causes and systems theory, the study contends that PAL prioritizes the formation of personal virtues but fails to clearly define the mechanisms that translate that ideal into verifiable collective practices. Based on a sample of 655 university students, two gaps are identified: one between ideal and reality, and another of perception. Although students internalize the ethical discourse, they show weaknesses in resilience, congruence, and social agency. As an alternative, the article proposes the Leadership for the Common Good (LCG) model, validated through CB-SEM, focused on relational, assessable, and structurally mediated dimensions.

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