1. INTRODUCTION
There is an ethical dilemma involving many co-operations and it is trust. The values of a leader is crucial to an organization in regards to the choices and decisions they make. According to (Westaby et al, 2010) leaders have to make judgment calls in various aspects of the business and this could affect the work force and the organization as a whole.
Ethics are from a person’s morals and (Cianci et al, 2014) states this comes from cultural influence, environment and business interests. Leaders are responsible for the motivation and drive of their subordinates to perform in the organization however without the employees trusting the leader to be ethical and a good decision maker especially concerning their well being, this could prove to be a futile task.
Many people wonder what exactly ethical leadership? (Wright and Quick, 2011) explain that it stems from an individual’s character; there are classic opinions that both religion and philosophies play a major role in the formation of personality. They attribute the make up of the character to be from Christian belief brought on by Saint Paul that encourages “faith, hope and charity” and other Asian beliefs such as Confucianism, also there are earthly views of fairness and social awareness. Wright and Quick, (2011) are convinced that both the religious and logical view point of the world make up a person’s character. Ethical leadership by (Brown and Trevino, 2006) can be described to be the show of
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.
Christian leadership infused with a profound ethical standard will set leaders, followers, and organizations apart. The Bible provides a substantial amount of moral and ethical leadership examples and principles that are applicable to modern ethical leadership development (see Table 2). This directive encourages an ethical example for leaders proclaiming, “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned…” (Titus 2:7-8, English Standard Version). Thompson (2010) believes leaders should be developed ethically to be “action-oriented leaders who recognize the moral importance of their decisions as moral agents” (p. 29).
Leaders are expected to act consistently with their vision and the values they advocate to their team. If a leader’s words or actions are contrary to the values they expect in others, they will be faced with cynicism and contempt. Followers expect their leader to act in their best interests, putting their welfare before their own. An ethical leader is honest, open and truthful to their followers. When leaders lose this trust, their followers will quickly disregard them.
Ethical leadership practices shape and support trust, and trust is decided to a great extent by the conduct of the
The topic that we choose is “The relationship between Leadership and Ethics”. The term ethics has been defined as inquiry into the nature and grounds of morality or a branch of philosophy of human conduct and determine right and wrong (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2010). In the other words, it includes study of general nature of moral, specific moral choices, moral philosophy, and rules or standards of governing the conduct of the member of a profession (Ferrell et al., 2010).
In the ultimate analysis, organizational and leadership ethics is everybody’s responsibility, not just that of an elite few. This is because leadership is not a person or a position but rather a complex moral relationship between people, based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good as cited in Johnstone, 2013).
Leaders are responsible for influencing followers to perform actions, complete tasks, and behave in certain manners. Effective leaders also influence processes, stimulate change in attitudes and values, and amplify empowerment and self-efficacy of their followers, as they foster the internalization of corporate vision. The nurturing aspect of leadership can also raise an organization’s culture and employee’s values to higher levels of ethical behavior. By demonstrating ethical leadership we promote a high level of integrity that stimulates a sense of trustworthiness, and encourages subordinates to accept and follow our vision (Mickey, 2013).
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.
Research indicates that the behavior of one’s superiors is among the strongest influences on ethical behavior, playing a larger role than the behavior of peers or even one’s personal ethical frameworks (Arlow & Ulrich, 1988; Brenner & Molander, 1977; Posner & Schmidt, 1984; Vitell & Festervand, 1987). Hart (2001) believes ethics cannot be effective without proper leadership. According to Rosenbloom (1989) ethics can be considered as a form of self-accountability or an “inner check” of the conduct of public administrators. Ethics are statements, written or oral, that prescribe or proscribe certain behaviours under specified conditions (Nigro & Nigro, 1989, p.37). The success of ethics programs in any organization lies with committed leadership (Lewis, 1999; Hejka-Ekins,
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.”
Leadership is by all means a special talent that not all people possess. A leader must also have ethics to be effective for the long term in the corporate world. These leaders generally implement ethical programs in order to influence an organizations climate (Yukl, 2010). I will evaluate the importance of ethical leadership and the role it plays into today’s organizations. In addition, I will discuss the repercussions a company may have when its leadership allows and even rewards unethical business practices. Lastly, I will apply my personal leadership perspective. My perspective will include the path-goal theory and ethical practices that I find important to
In today’s world people would have you believe that ethics is a questionable requirement. That ethics is based on perception. Wither we see ethics the same way or not in the business world we should all agree that right is right and wrong is wrong. In business we should all live by a certain standard of fairness that includes an amount of personal morals that prevent you from simply following the crowd. If you want to be a true leader in the business world it requires a certain amount of courage to do what is right regardless of the personal consequences.
How do ethical values shape behavior in organizations? According to Saleem (2014), ethical values and behaviors of an organization are made up of organizations institutionalized philosophies along with the moral ideologies of its members. In addition, the codes of ethics help to enhance the moral reasoning of employees while shaping their behaviors towards morally questioning unethical situations. Organizational leaders are encouraged to build cultures of trust with leadership who establish concerning goals employees pursue y setting examples for others to follow (Crosbie, 2008). The leaders whom are able to build training and development throughout their organization helps design and build relationships characterized by collaborative behaviors those results in mutually beneficial outcomes (Crosbie, 2008).
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