In this seminar we can observer four characters, and each one has a different perception of ethical leadership, which was defined by Brow, Treviño, & Harrison as “demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the promotion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision-making (2005, p. 120). Also to underline that according to Gini “All leadership, whether good or bad, is moral leadership…” (1997).
First, Mike is an ethical teacher who is concerned about environment and business practices carried out in last times. For Mike, ethical leadership is set by the top of the organisations, who serve as example for the rest of employees: if superiors
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It depends mainly on corporate culture of the company and their goals. In Mike and Jan is possible to observer a values-based culture, meanwhile in Jan a traditional compliance-based culture. The difference between of them is basically that in the first it is considered that basic function of ethics is obey to the law and rules, and in the second it is given more priority to a set of values that the rules, referring to “doing the right thing in addition to doing things right” (Hartman & DesJardins, 2011).
In conclusion, leaders or play an important role in corporate culture of a company and are one of the members who form the governance corporate. According to Treviño Hartman, & Brown (2000) to be an “ethical leader” is necessary to be a moral person, and the same time a moral manager. (as cited in Crane & Matten, 2010). This implies, on the one hand, to own values as honesty and integrity (in related to moral person); on the other hand, to follow an ethical behaviour on professional and private scale, employees’ moral behaviour be rewarded and unethical conducts punish, and to have conversations about ethics with employees. (Treviño et al., 2000, as cited in L. van den Akker, Heres, Lasthuizen & Six, 2009). Finally and regarding to the characters, only Mike and Jan would be ethical leaders in my opinion, because they can combine benefits with ethics. Meanwhile Mei-Hua and Deshi have their main objective in obtaining beneficial and this could be a mistake to succeed because of “Ethics is truly an essential ingredient for business success” (Arjoon,
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
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
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.
Looking at the first word in ethical leadership we see, as stated in the Webster-Merriam dictionary, ethical is defined as “following accepted rules of behavior: morally right and good”. When we think of someone who is ethical we, first, think of someone who ‘follows the rules’. By following the rules I mean someone who in the eyes of the majority is morally sound. Having strong morals is what I believe the key is to an ethical person. On the other side of the definition of ethical is defining it as having inside oneself the desire to do what’s right over what is wrong. When we speak about someone who is ethical this desire is one that is not dependent on external forces i.e. no one can sway an ethical person’s mindset.
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.
German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant once said, “In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so” (1800). The word ethics refers to “character” and “conduct” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). It is deeply “concerned with the virtuousness of individuals and their motives” and “the kinds of values and morals an individual or a society finds desirable or appropriate” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). Thus, “in regards to leadership, ethics is concerned with what leaders do and who leaders are” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). Ethics in leadership allows leaders to make decisions regarding what is virtuous or not in a situation. All throughout the history of American government, difficult decisions have been made and the fight for ethics has always been “implicitly or explicitly involved” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330).
According to Ferrell (2004), “Organizations create ethical or unethical corporate cultures based on leadership and the commitment to values that stress the importance of stakeholder relationships. Establishing and implementing a strategic approach to improving organizational ethics is based on establishing, communicating, and monitoring ethical values and legal requirements that characterize the firm's history, culture, and operating environment” (p. 129). Ethics programs ensure satisfactory relationships with all stakeholders by aligning with all of their demands and needs, and determine conduct with customers and relationships with regulators, shareholders, suppliers, and employees (Ferrell, 2004).
All styles of leadership must include ethics that are built on a foundation of values, obligation to do good, while adhering to the healthcare organizational codes that reflects the agency’s mission. In healthcare, this means high-quality care for patients or delivery outcomes ((Levitt-Rosenthal, 2013). In evaluation of my past career roles and where I would like to go in the future, I really have not had issues that I needed to work on. However, I have left two jobs because I did not agree with a few of the company’s policies in how they operated to keep grant monies. According to Larson (2013) the top five ethical issues, in healthcare delivery today, are finding a balance between efficient and quality
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...
The practices of a leader can have wide spread implications. They can impact individual stakeholders and the organization as a whole. Clark (2013) states that “you must be the role model you want others to grow into” (para. 9). A strong leader leads by example, is ethical, and earns the trust and respect of their followers. They are also conscientious of the impact they have on the world around them. They practice impeccable communication and learn to inspire others with a positive vision for the future. Clark (2014) describes leadership as the methods of influencing others to accomplish objectives in a collective manner in the direction of the organization's vision.
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.
Organizations are constantly tested with various moral and ethical problems and dilemmas. Organizational leaders are the key to establishing an ethical climate in the workplace. By understanding and improving their own moral reasoning, and the biases that affect moral judgment, they enable themselves to make better decisions. This has a catalytic effect that positively increases organizational climate, ultimately improving all organizational behavior.
Ethics is the responsibility of each individual person, but starts with the CEO and the Board of Directors, setting the right tone at the top and moves down through the organization, including setting the tone in the middle. A company’s culture and ethic standards start at the top, not from the bottom. Employees will almost always behave in the manner that they think management expects them, and it is foolish for management to pretend otherwise (Scudder). One of the CEO’s most important jobs is to create, foster, and communicate the culture of the organization. Wrongdoings or improper behavior rarely occurs in a void, leaders typically know when someone is compromising the company
Good, strong, ethical people can have an immeasurable impact on a company as well. “Ethical leadership creates an ethical culture. Top managers provide a blueprint for a firm’s corporate culture. If these leaders fail to express desired ethical behaviors and goals, a corporate culture evolves on its own to reflect the values and norms of the company” (Ferrell, 2015). “Leadership has a significant impact on ethical decision making because leaders have the power to motivate others and enforce the organization’s norms, policies, and viewpoints” (Ferrell, 2015). Often employees will look to management and top leadership for clues as to what is acceptable and what is not. It is not only important to have good role models in those top positions, but to have a culture where they can fully express their ethical
“Ethics can be defined as moral principles that govern or influence a person’s behaviour and values are the context in which an organisation or society’s norms are established and justified” (buzz text book).Ethics are the guidelines helping us tell the difference between the is wrong and right. Most people are encouraged by ethics to normally do the right things. Ethics and values are based on individual beliefs and standards in society that one if from, they vary from person to person. Leadership is the authority and capability for one to lead people in an organization in order to achieve goals. They are the main role players in all the organizations and are crucial to their success. Ethics in a business means taking the precise way’