An Ethically Oriented, Value Based Culture

Ethics is the guiding force in any respectable organization. With a moral compass, especially in the leadership of organization, a company can become compromised and fall into a quagmire of legal issues, a tarnished reputation, and devaluation of company stock if it is a publically traded company. In pursuit of examine my own ethical lens I will analyze the ethical traits of an admired leader, my own traits as exhibited in the Ethical Lens Inventory, and how I make a decision concerning a particular ethical dilemma.

This paper will first discuss briefly what ethics are and provide the definition for an ethical issue. An ethical leadership issue is identified and explained for this author’s practice area. We will then identify and discuss key strategies for leadership that are pertinent to the ethical issue. Next, empirical evidence which supports the strategies discussed will be analyzed. Then, the impact and importance of the strategies will be stated. The final step will be to provide a conclusion to the reader that summarizes the content and strategies.

Past research has discovered that managers react to ethical dilemmas according to the situation. If specific values that are related to ethical behavior can be identified, they would offer strong tools for managers who want to retain high standards of ethical behavior in their society.

Leadership is like a weighted coin, with a preference for the head of corruption. In fact, many of today’s greatest leaders seem to have long histories of controversy and questionable decisions. Take, for example, the PR company Bell Pottinger of the United Kingdom, which has recently been exposed for facilitating racism in South Africa, under direction from one of its clients (Cheryl). Exposure of this and other company controversies marked the beginning of the end for Bell Pottinger. Had the leaders of Bell Pottinger properly weighed company risks, prioritized their employees, and set a precedent of rules, corruption could have been prevented.

According to Johnson (2012) leaders are powerful role models, and policies will have a little effect if leaders do not follow the rules they set. In Enron case, corruption and ethical misconduct were deeply embedded in their business culture where profitability was more important than ethics. In this paper, I will address the factors that had led to the development of the culture of profit before principle at Enron. Also, I will create my personal code of ethics that will guide me in my professional and personal decision making and doing the right thing when faced with ethical challenges.

Leadership is a crucial aspect in any organisation whose goals include succeeding in the target market or industry against its competitors, as well as facilitating an ethical work environment and effective management to achieve those goals. The five articles provided in this analysis address the key issues when organisations fail to acknowledge the importance of ethical and effective leadership practices; including various opinions from significant parties involved. With the support of quantitative research statistics and case study results, these peer reviewed scholarly articles support the importance of leadership. This analysis is focused on the topic of leadership to emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of companies that choose to implement

In this article, the reader will be enlightened on (a) two definitions (explanations) for ethical leadership described by researchers, (b) how leadership is measured, (c) assess how ethical leadership relates to several leadership styles, and (d) concluding thoughts on how moral strength through ethical leadership is hoped to be seen in the future.

Analyze the manner in which Zappos’ leadership has fostered a culture of ethicalness in the company. Suggest two (2) actions that other companies can take in order to mimic this culture.

Ethical leadership encompasses the manner in which one leaders that respects the rights and dignity of other individuals. According to Preston (1996) “ethics is concerned about what is right, fair, just, or good; about what we ought to do, not just what is the case or what is most acceptable or expedient” (p.16). Ethical leadership calls for ethical leaders in the organization. However, although an organization’s beliefs, valves, customs and philosophies need to start from the chief executive, the managers and employees must be dedicated to the organization’s goals for a culture be shaped (Butts Ed.). In order for a strong organizational culture to be successful, components of key valves must be in place and followed. With the

Analyzing values-based leadership from a macro-perspective, it is one and the same with business ethics. However it is not an effective strategy to simply decide to act ethically as a business mission. Values-based leadership requires identifying specific values the business is to stand for and enforce, in order to strategize how they will conduct business. After all, if the executive leadership of any company doesn’t define their own values, by whose moral compass are employees to navigate? Their own? Their manager’s? Isn’t ethics open to interpretation from one person to the next? Mandating that every employee base each decision upon a clear and concise corporate values-system, is the only surefire strategy to build and sustain a truly ethical organization.

According to Thornton (2009), leadership ethics issues are difficult to solve for many different reasons, including the fact that there isn’t a clear explanation of leadership ethics. The boundaries of leadership ethics are also expanding which makes it difficult to keep up with. Not to mention that many leaders find it difficult to discuss the topic of leadership ethics. Furthermore, programs that are created to assist in combating the issues associated with leadership ethics are created specifically based on the culture of each business, and therefore cannot fix the generalized problem of leadership ethics (p. 59).

It is only during moral lapses and corporate scandals that interest groups and the broader public ask themselves the fundamental ethical questions, who are the managers of the organization and were they acting with the ethical guidelines. For a long time, the issue of ethics was largely ignored, with organizations focusing on profit maximization. However, this has changed, and much attention is now focused on ethics management by researchers and leaders. The issue of ethics has arisen at a time when public trust on corporate governance is low, and the legitimacy of leadership is being questioned. Leaders are expected to be the source of moral development and ethical guidance to their employees.

Plato once asked whether you would rather be "an unethical person with a good reputation or an ethical person with a reputation for injustice." Ethical leadership has long been a debate in regards to its importance and place in the universal business world.

This broader concept of ethical leadership empowers leaders to incorporate and be explicit about their own values and ethics. The following list provides a framework for developing ethical leadership. It is based on the observations of and conversations with a host of executives and students over the past 25 years, and on readings of both popular and scholarly business literature. Written from the perspective of the leader, these ten facets of ethical leaders offer a way to understand ethical leadership that is more complex and more useful than just a matter of “good character and values.”

I will examine the importance of personal ethics in leadership and how ethics produce effective leaders in organizations today. The importance of understanding ethics, motivation to act as a role model and developing a plan of action for an organization are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. These key points suggest personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce ethical and effective leadership. With so many definitions of leadership, the question evolved from “what is the definition of leadership?” to “what is good leadership” (Ciulla, 2004, p. 13). To develop a system of values one must compile a list of the most important instrumental values and terminal values. These lists are unique to every individual because they are determined by personal importance. Instrumental values, such as honest, helpful, ambitious, responsible, etc. should reinforce terminal values. Once a leader’s means are consistent with desired goals, their value system is unified and they have climbed the staircase from the lobby to the first level of values. The climb from the first floor to the second floor results in a person incorporating principles into their newly developed values. Although values act as the bedrock of ethics, principles are required because alone, “values are far too vague to have much meaning in ethical analysis” (Cooper, 1998, p. 12). Morals are ideals that help us decipher between right