Algorithmic stewardship: reconceptualizing strategic leadership through indigenous and holistic cultural wisdom in a multipolar generative AI era

Abstract

Purpose This paper addresses the strategic tensions arising from the convergence of Generative AI (GenAI) and global multipolarity. It proposes a conceptual framework integrating holistic cultural wisdom to navigate the opacity and contextual challenges of modern algorithmic governance. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a conceptual approach, this study synthesizes literature on strategic leadership, explainable AI (XAI) and cross-cultural cognition. It juxtaposes the efficiency-driven, linear logic of algorithmic decision-making with high-context, holistic epistemologies to construct a “Symbiotic Stewardship” model. Findings Traditional Western-centric leadership models are insufficient for managing the “black box” of GenAI in a culturally fragmented global landscape. The proposed framework argues that indigenous and holistic cultural wisdom serves as a critical ethical governor. It enables leaders to balance human–AI augmentation, mitigate technological opacity and achieve contextual resonance across diverse institutional environments. Originality/value Responding to the call for phenomenon-based research, this paper bridges high-tech algorithmic strategy with high-touch cognitive sociology. It introduces the concept of “Algorithmic Stewardship,” redefining executives not merely as resource orchestrators, but as cultural translators who harmonize machine computation with human relational ethics.