‘Darkness to Light’ in Islamic Corporate Governance

Abstract

There are increasingly more studies emerging looking at the ‘dark side’ of organisations: examining the dark out-side (e.g. political instability, multi-national corrupt syndicates), and in-side (e.g. workplace violence, nepotism). ‘Darkness’ not only involves generalised corrupting mechanisms, but also specific issues that are purposely ‘brushed under the carpet’ by internal members of the organisation. This paper contributes to this still evolving field, the Qur’anic ‘darkness to light’ theme to explain certain organisational challenges. This theme is a prominent perspective in many classical and contemporary Muslim scholarship, situated today within the discourse of Islamic corporate governance. By discussing not only at the shadows lurking within an Islamic system of corporate governance, but also the ‘bright’ side, this presentation seeks to illuminate every nook and cranny of the virtuous organisation. The interplay between organisational ‘darkness’ and ‘light’ are also examined: spaces that form ‘grey’ areas, within which its navigation many organisational members struggle. This presentation also proposes some strategies and mechanisms to systematically shine more ‘light’ into those ‘dark’ and ‘grey’ areas.