THE GANDHI–MANDELA ETHICAL DECISION ARCHITECTURE (GMEDA) A HUMAN-CENTERED GOVERNANCE AND MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK FOR COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Paper ID: EIJTEM_2026_13_3_104-118

Author's Name: Dr. Ignacio Bonasa Alzuria

Volume: 13

Issue: 3

Year: 2026

Page No: 104-118

Abstract:

This conceptual theory-building article develops the Gandhi–Mandela Ethical Decision Architecture (GMEDA), a measurable governance framework for complex organizational transformation. Rather than treating Mohandas K. Gandhi and Nelson Mandela as heroic biographies or generic sources of inspiration, the study translates five historically grounded principles—truth, non-harm, integrity of means, reconciliation, and stewardship—into decision rights, procedural safeguards, restorative mechanisms, and institutional controls. The architecture integrates six design domains with the four-stage THRI cycle (Truth, Humanization, Reconciliation, and Institutionalization), a seven-question executive protocol, and a 24-item maturity instrument. Its distinct contribution is to connect ethical leadership with systems design: values become observable through voice protection, contestability, impact assessment, remedy, accountable ownership, and incentive alignment. Two analytical application scenarios—AI-enabled workforce selection and post-merger restructuring—demonstrate how GMEDA can identify legitimacy risks that conventional efficiency-centered approaches overlook. The framework is positioned alongside ethical, responsible, servant, and complexity leadership, and is aligned with contemporary responsible-AI governance principles, including human dignity, transparency, accountability, and risk management. Eight research propositions and a staged validation agenda are offered. GMEDA does not claim empirical validation at this stage; it provides a falsifiable and operational foundation for scale development, comparative case research, Delphi assessment, and longitudinal testing. The article argues that leadership transforms the world sustainably only when moral intention is converted into repeatable institutional architecture.

Keywords: Gandhi; Mandela; ethical decision architecture; systems leadership; organizational transformation; human-centered governance; restorative dialogue; responsible artificial intelligence; measurement; institutional legitimacy

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