Ethics And Leadership: The Importance Of Ethics In Leadership

Importance of Ethics in Leadership

The important of leadership and ethics issues are two concepts that are interrelated linked with an organizational environment. Ultimately, all stakeholders of an organization want their leaders and organizations to be ethically sound. Bazerman & Tenbrunsel, (2011). Having exercise the power and influence given to leaders over their followers, ethics practice will be critical to the process of leadership. Northouse, (2013). Ciulla (2004) argued that to achieve “good leadership,” leaders must be morally sound and as such, “ethics lies at the heart of leadership studies” (p. 18). Similarly, followers expect their leaders to be honest and ethical (Northouse, 2013). Honesty

Kouzes and Posner’s (2012), original study took place in 1987. “The more defective our leaders, the greater our longing to have highly ethical leaders” (Ciulla, 2004, p. 3). In spite of the fact, that ethics and leadership are obviously interrelated in most cases. This led us into checking for definitions of both variables. Ethics can be defined ‘as the standards of good or bad and right or wrong’. Hultman & Gellerman, (2002). The word ‘ethics’ originated from Greek word meaning, customs, conduct, moral, right and wrong. Northouse, (2013, p. 424). Therefore, ethics is a process of what it’s called values and moral principles an individual or society reflects are desirable and acceptable Northouse, (2013). Ethics in leadership is the test of right and wrong, good and bad, and the moral principles of the leader and follower relationship. Ciulla, (2004). Psychologically, the behavior of ethics ascertains how people view values, ethical leadership evaluate the relative importance of ethical values, and the way we treat each other every day. Gini, (2004, p. 31, 34). As the ethics definition and more specific leadership ethics definition means, the moral