In Pursuit of Howard Roark: A Scene-Based Qualitative Analysis of Ethical Leadership and Creative Autonomy in The Fountainhead (1949)

Abstract

This study examines The Fountainhead (1949) through an integrated narrative document analysis to explore the intersection of ethical leadership and creative autonomy. The analysis evaluates the core dimensions of ethical leadership, moral courage, principled integrity, value alignment, and moral agency alongside the essential components of creative autonomy, including artistic integrity, aesthetic coherence, creative ownership, and creative sovereignty. The film is interpreted as a cohesive narrative case in which tensions between individual values and institutional or societal expectations become highly visible.

Seven scenes selected through purposive sampling were coded according to a theory-driven analytical framework and examined through qualitative document analysis procedures. The findings demonstrate that Howard Roark’s leadership orientation cannot be explained by traditional relational or follower-centred models. Instead, Roark embodies a solitary and radical ethical stance grounded in internal value coherence rather than external validation. In the film, each ethical decision he makes simultaneously constitutes an aesthetic choice, presenting creative autonomy not merely as a personal preference but as a moral imperative to preserve the internal logic of the work.

The results also show that Roark’s ethical leadership is strengthened through autonomy-supportive client relationships. Characters such as Enright and Wynand reduce institutional pressure and foster psychological safety by respecting Roark’s creative independence. In contrast, the demolition of Cortlandt Homes represents the sharpest conflict between individual moral integrity and collective norms, illustrating the points at which ethical leadership may collide with legal and societal order and revealing how the dark side of leadership can emerge when principled commitment becomes extreme.

Overall, the study demonstrates that ethical leadership and creative autonomy are mutually reinforcing capacities rather than opposing constructs. The Fountainhead demonstrates that the defence of creative integrity, value–action alignment, and aesthetic identity can function as foundations of ethical leadership. By highlighting the interdependence of ethics and creativity, the film invites scholars to reconsider leadership in professional contexts where individuality, moral conviction, and creative judgement intersect.

Keywords

• Ethical leadership
• creative autonomy
• moral agency
• artistic integrity
• dark side of leadership.

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