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EXISTENTIAL ONTOLOGY THEORY (A Theoretical Framework Highlighting How Purpose and Authenticity Impact Organisational Life)

Nwabuatu, Emmanuel Nnajiubah. Ph. D

Abstract

Contemporary organizations face a growing crisis of meaning. Employees increasingly report disengagement, purposelessness, and a profound sense of alienation between their personal values and the institutional demands of organizational life. Existing organizational and management theories address performance, structure, motivation, and leadership but have largely failed to provide a philosophically grounded account of how individual purpose and organizational existence can converge to produce genuine, transformative impact. This study introduces Existential Alignment Theory , a virgin theoretical framework that draws on existentialist philosophy particularly the work of Sartre (1946), Camus (1942), and Heidegger (1927) to argue that organizations thrive when individual existential purpose aligns with collective institutional goals, enabling authentic impact rather than mere functional output. Existential Alignment Theory proposes five core propositions: (1) individuals seek existential authenticity in their work; (2) organizations function as vessels for shared existential projects; (3) convergence of individual and organizational purpose liberates employees to create authentic impact; (4) acknowledging organizational absurdities fosters resilience and creative engagement; and (5) existential alignment defines authentic organizational success. The theory further identifies three leadership imperatives: creating intersectional spaces of purpose, adopting existentially resonant leadership styles, and measuring success through authentic impact. The article delineates the theory's philosophical underpinnings, core propositions, and practical implications while positioning Existential Alignment Theory in dialogue with existing scholarship on meaningful work, authentic leadership, and organizational purpose.

Keywords

Existential alignmentorganizational purposeauthentic leadershipmeaningful workexistentialismauthentic impact

References

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