Chapter 5 A Grounded Research Approach to Sustainable Leadership Practices and Competencies Agna Fernandez, Francis David Kullu, and Ramesh Shankar Abstract Sustainable leadership is an enduring model of leadership in the current context of scarce and depleting resources. However, there does not seem to be a consensus as far as the interpretation and definition of the concept in light of compe- tencies are concerned. A new paradigm for the development of leadership has neces- sitated a relook at this concept. There are limited empirical studies dealing with sustainable leadership (Crews 2010). The primary objective of the paper was to provide a contemporary, conceptual clarity of sustainable leadership competencies and practices, through an understanding of it from global HR leaders across different sectors in the industry. The review of literature indicated a gap of knowledge in a suitable framework of competencies for a sustainable leader. The study applied the qualitative research approach, using the grounded-theory methodology originally developed by Glaser and Strauss (Jones and Noble 2007). This method was chosen as it offered an eye view reality, insights and enhanced understanding of the same contextually. The qualitative research design included a sample of country and South Asian Heads of HR from India who were selected from different industries to repre- sent diverse perspectives. Eighteen Global and Country Heads of HR of India and South Asia participated in this study. The competencies that emerged from the inter- views were strategic thinking, cognitive diversity, learning agility, systems approach, intuitive decision making and societal values. Keywords Sustainable leadership · Sustainable leadership model · Sustainable leadership competencies · Sustainable leadership practices · Grounded theory A. Fernandez (B ) · F. D. Kullu Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai, India e-mail: agna.fernandez@liba.edu R. Shankar Former CHRO Siemens & Chief Joy Officer, Hrishti, Mumbai, India © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020 S. Vanka et al. (eds.), Sustainable Human Resource Management, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5656-2_5 71