Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Strengths and weaknesses of ethical leadership
Difference between ethics morals and laws
Strengths and weaknesses of ethical leadership
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Strengths and weaknesses of ethical leadership
Introduction
Defining moral leadership is quite simple and varied dependent upon the situation or context requiring leadership. Carrying out moral and ethical leadership is much more complex when carried out in the day to day operations in life. This is particularly poignant when righting a wrong, or redeeming a situation to help in a process of improvement.
Dineen, Lewicki and Tomlinson (2006 p. 430 in Yukl) state a case that it is up to the leadership to lead by example regarding both ethical and moral behaviour. It is also imperative for the leader to set clear goals, standards and objectives and ensure the maintenance throughout the performance of their work (Yukl p. 430 – 431).
One of the issues not addressed due to lack of research is the cultural aspects of leadership in various cultures. I will attempt to address this from my own cultural perspective from the oral history I grew up with.
During this research, two scenarios came up of what an ethical and non-ethical leadership situation looks like. Further research brought me to seek out other situations for comparison. The overall need for leaders to lead well is to pay attention to everything around you.
Discussion
Researchers have developed a variety of definitions regarding leadership and seem simple to visualize but in reality very difficult to carry out in day to day operations of a business, school or life in general. Rost (p.165) expresses the dismay and disgust when scholars, and others who study leadership, see the unethical and immoral (my emphasis) conduct of people in authoritative or power roles. They, the scholars’ et al, want to make ethical conduct a moral imperative for leaders and leadership. Bennis and Nanus (2003 p. 4) identified 850 def...
... middle of paper ...
...g Keilburger’s of the world keep us all enlightened, we will be on constant watch to see that the moral and ethical work environment for all global employees are safe and healthy.
Works Cited
Bennis, W & Nanus, B. (2003). (2nd ed.) Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge. New York. Harper Collins Publishers.
Nike website: www.nikebix.com/resonsibility/cr_recognition.html. Corporate Social Responsibility and Code of Ethics and Conduct.
Enron wikipedia: en.wiikipedia.org/wiki/Enron
Rosenbeck, W.E. & Taylor, R.L. (6th ed.) (2006). Contemporary Leadership. Boulder, CO. Westview Press.
Rost, J.C. (1993). Leadership for the 21st Century. Westport CT. Praeger Publishers
Wren, T J. ed. (1995). Leader’s Companion: Insights Through the Ages. New York. The Free Press.
Yukl, G. (7th ed.) (2010). Leadership in Organizations. New Jersey. Prentice Hall.
Ethical leadership is hard to define according to research cited by Yukl, (2013). Ethics depends on time, culture, and laws. We can attempt to define ethical leadership by looking at the leader’s behavior, values and how he or she influences followers (Yukl, 2013). Every organization has ethical and moral guidelines stipulated through their policies, rules and regulations. A leader who is honest and trustworthy can be said as an ethical leader. But it depends on how the behavior is reflected in the organization and the employees. Ethical leadership can also be defined as to whether the behaviors violate cultural customs and laws of the society. Personal morals and ethics may be in conflict with managing the organization
Pierce, Jon L. and John W. Newstrom (2011) 6th edition. Leaders and the Leadership Process.
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.
Clawson, J.G. (2009). Level Three Leadership: Getting Below the Surface, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (p.85)
Northouse, Peter G. Leaderhip Theory and Practice. Ed. Fifth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc, 2010.
Mlls, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Boston: Harvad Business School Press.
Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge is an organizational management book written by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus for those who aim to become better leaders. The authors emphasize that having executive positions or being a manager does not automatically make one a leader. A leader is one who inspires his staff, help them find purpose in their work, and effectively implement their plans. They separate the book not quite into chapters on different topics, but rather by four strategies that they have determined are vital for any leader to take on. The strategies are effectively concluded as attention through vision, meaning through communication, trust through positioning, and the deployment of self. A prominent feature of Leaders is the various
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
Mullane, Susan P. "Ethics and Leadership." Ethics and Leadership (2009): n. pag. Web. 17 June 2014.
Willis, Gary. Certain Trumpets: The Nature Of Leadership. New York , New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994.
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...
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
(2008). Morality and leadership in work organizations: Developing a normative model. Loughborough University (United Kingdom). PQDT - UK & Ireland, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/898805535?accountid=35796. (898805535).
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. .
Bennis, W. & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The Strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper Row.