A00014183
PHI 300
CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL CHALLENGES AND LEADERSHIP
Ethics is a discipline of philosophy that outlines the right and the wrong moral conduct. It is a study of the moral behaviour of individuals and sets out a code of conduct as to how humans should act in a given situation. Contemporary ethics links the basic ideology of ethics with various other disciples of philosophy.
Global dynamics have changed over the years. The way people think and behave, their sense of right and wrong, their views on the good and the bad, all of this has changed over time. Things that people perceived as wrong in the past are now viewed as tolerable and acceptable. This change in the way people think has brought about numerous challenges that leaders have to face.
Moral behaviour was initially judged on the basis of religious teachings. Irrespective of which religion an individual belonged to, the human life was focused on the religious teachings. However with the passage of time, the human focus has shifted from religion. With secular societies and nations being on the rise, religion is not viewed as the fundamental basis of how one should act. Consequently, the error theory and the meta-ethics have developed over time. In the present times, age old principles are not used as the basis of governing a situation. Be it an issue in economy or a problem faced in the business, people consider the present situation and weigh their pros and cons before terming an action as either ethical or unethical. It is believed that times have changed so immensely, that the age old principles do not apply any longer to the issues faced by the people today (Mackie, 110).
In a world, where people often do not abide by the rules of religion, it is very ...
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...hat a distinction between right and wrong still exists.
Works Cited:
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Freeman, R.E. & Stewart, L. “Developing Ethical Leadership.” Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics. 2006. http://www.corporate-ethics.org/pdf/ethical_leadership.pdf
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Mackie, J. “Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong.” Penguin Books Limited, 1990.
Mullane, Susan, P. “Ethics and Leadership.” White Paper Series, The Johnson A. Edosomwan Leadership Institute.
Sharp, B., Aguirre, G., & Kickham, K. (Eds.) (2011). Managing in the Public Sector: A Casebook in Ethics and Leadership. Boston: Longman.
Leaders who treat their employees with fairness, honesty, and provide frequent, accurate information are seen as more effective. According to Robbins and Judge (2014), “trust is a primary attribute associated with leadership and followers who trust a leader are confident their rights and interest will not be abused” (p.193). The old General Motor Corporation had eleven different CEO’s from 1923 until 2009 each with their own unique leadership style, which directed employees toward the organization goals. Unfortunately, many of the top level managers under the CEO’s had the tendency of filtering out information that did not match up with their pre-conceived notions about a particular issue and they lacked upward communication. One consumer goal of General Motors was to build trust in the company so people would be repeat customers, but building trust between employees and establishing an ethical culture was not a top priority of the organization. Goal directed leadership alone is important, but differs from a structure of leadership based on ethics. It is important to note, that effective leadership may not be the same as leadership founded on ethical principles. Business competence must exist, along with personal leadership accountability in ethical decisions. Within the General Motors organization, ethics and leadership did not interconnect; there were misalignment between the
Ethics is defined by as the “branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions
To apply this system of moral values effectively, one must understand the structural levels at which ethical dilemmas occur, who is involved in the dilemmas, and how a particular decision will affect them. In addition, one must consider how to formulate possible courses of action. Failing in any of these three areas may lead to an ineffective decision, resulting in more pain than cure.” Ken Blanchard states, “Many leaders don’t operate ethically because they don’t understand leadership; these executives may have MBA’s from Ivey League schools or have attended leadership training; they may routinely read the best-selling management books, however, they don’t understand what it means to be a leader.” They don’t model a way of ethical behaviors.
The period of the turn of the century in many American businesses such as Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and Arthur Anderson, were driven by unworthy values like self-indulgence, greed and corruption that drove the business into unethical territories. The challenge for leadership scholars was to understand how leader ethical values were connected to certain behavioral styles that generate ethically responsible attitudes and behavior in organizations. Change leadership models for example, transformational leadership, have dictated the study of organizational leadership for over 30 years. Research has demonstrated the powerful effects of transformational leadership at the individual, group, and organization-levels
Joseph, James A. "Leadership And The Changing Role Of Ethics In Public Life." Lecture. Models of Ethical Leadership for a Changing World. University of Texas. Jan. 2001. Web.
Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (U.S.) United States. Department of the Air Force. (2012b). Ethical Leadership (LM01). Maxwell-Gunter Annex, AL: Department of the Air Force.
Ethics is a doing and learning experience which causes us as humans to keep an open mind to change. Generally, ethics ask us to live mindfully, to think how we act and even how we feel or do things, which can change the outcome. Sometimes we go down certain roads, which may be harder or make things more complicated or complex instead of making an easier option we just take the easier way out, usually the way that calls for
Mullane, Susan P. "Ethics and Leadership." Ethics and Leadership (2009): n. pag. Web. 17 June 2014.
Palmer, D. 2009. Business leadership: three levels of ethical analysis, Journal of Business Ethics. 88(3): 525-536.
Currently, leadership is generally understood as a person with insight and wisdom of guidance, which expected to be efficient in management responsibilities like planning organizing, and monitoring performance (Kandola, 2004, p. 144). In addition, making ethical decision is important to individuals who value and take seriously institutional...
With so many constant changes today with different generations, legal and political circumstances and ever-changing and improving technology sources, organizations have new and recurring issues arising every single day. The reasons for these issues vary widely and develop because of so many different situations. The outcome of the situation depends on many factors including the issue at hand, the management style and the ethics of the organization to simply name a few. These outcomes can certainly make or break an organization if not handled appropriately. The issue I have found to be the most significant is leadership. Within leadership, there is the opportunity for many issues in itself.
[1] Ethics is defined as “the code of moral principles and values that governs the behaviour of a person or a group with respect to what is right or wrong” (Samson and Daft, 2005, p.158)
Ethical leadership organizational ethics and socially responsibility are inseparable (Johnson). Leadership is not a inherited gift or family heritage; it is not a degree from an ivy league graduate school. Becoming a leader is an intentional process of growth that must be lived out experientially (Mullane). Ethical leaders demonstrate three distinctive characteristics, knowledge, action and character. Leaders have to have the ability to say “yes” or even “no” to a never ending series of challenges. A leader needs to be able to define their values, character and leadership style. When accepting the role of leadership you become encumbered by ethical issues and concerns. .
Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is acceptable for both individuals and society. It is a philosophy that covers a whole range of things that have an importance in everyday situations. Ethics are vital in everyones lives, it includes human values, and how to have a good life, our rights and responsibilities, moral decisions what is right and wrong, good and bad. Moral principles affect how people make decisions and lead their lives (BBC, 2013). There are many different beliefs about were ethics come from. These consist of; God and Religion, human conscience, the example of good human beings and a huge desire for the best for people in each unique situation, and political power (BBC, 2013).