Danah Zohar

Danah Zohar is an American-British author, physicist, philosopher, and management thought leader whose work has influenced approaches to intelligence, leadership, and organizational design. Zohar studied physics and philosophy at MIT and completed postgraduate work in philosophy, religion, and psychology at Harvard University. This interdisciplinary background has informed her career, bridging quantum physics, consciousness studies, and corporate leadership.

Zohar coined the term spiritual intelligence and introduced the concept in her book "ReWiring the Corporate Brain." She proposed spiritual intelligence as an aspect of intelligence that operates above traditional IQ and emotional intelligence, focusing on meaning and purpose. Zohar further developed this concept in the books "SQ: Connecting with Our Spiritual Intelligence" and "Spiritual Capital: Wealth We Can Live By." Her 12 Principles of Spiritual Intelligence are derived from the properties of complex adaptive systems, which she describes as living quantum systems.

Zohar originated Quantum Management Theory and advocates for a new paradigm in management based on quantum physics and nonlinear complex adaptive systems. This approach serves as an alternative to the deterministic mechanics and machine metaphor found in early scientific management. Her books "The Quantum Self" and "The Quantum Society" contributed to this intellectual project, and she continued to expand these ideas in "Zero Distance: Management in the Quantum Age." In "Lao Tzu and Confucius Meet Heisenberg: Leadership Wisdom from Quantum Science and Chinese Philosophy," Zohar draws on both Western quantum science and ancient Chinese thought to offer leaders a framework for navigating organizational complexity.

Zohar has presented to senior management at companies including Shell, British Telecom, Motorola, Philips, BMW, Coca-Cola, and McKinsey. She established The Oxford Academy of Total Intelligence as an educational center and consultancy focused on sustainable leadership development, purpose, and motivation. Zohar is a visiting professor at Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing, the China Art Academy in Hangzhou, and serves as an entrepreneurial mentor at Haier in China.

Zohar has been recognized in the management field, including induction into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame and inclusion in the Financial Times Prentice Hall book Business Minds as one of the world's 50 greatest management thinkers. Through speaking, consulting, and writing, Zohar continues to influence the fields of leadership development, organizational psychology, and quantum management theory.