This practice was developed out of cultural implications regarding the rule of law and the concept of maintaining reputations. It allows Chinese businesses not to take advantage of those with whom they have guanxi. In developing business partnerships and relationships, trust plays a significant role. Therefore, the practice of guanxi is understood in this context. However, such exchanges are strictly forbidden by Western companies like Brenda’s employer. This perspective makes drawing the line to guide the decision making process for corporate leaders hazy and increases the proclivity for corruption.
Approach to Ethical Decision-Making The fact of the matter is making decisions about right and wrong impacts every aspect of our lives.
…show more content…
Ethical Leadership is about ethics. Being able to decipher between right and wrong and good or bad. Moreover, being able to decide between right and right or good and good. In this age of ethical consumerism, the desire for ethical leadership is growing. Consumers expect that today’s businesses will look beyond their immediate gain to consider a broader spectrum of stakeholders. In his article. “7 steps to Ethical Leadership”, Chad Brooks highlights the chief messages from author Linda Fisher Thornton 's book, 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership (2013). There are several of the principles Brenda identifies with and relates. For example, Brooks refers to how leaders should not look at ethics as “just following laws and regulations” (2013). By understanding the importance of ethics to consumers and by being proactive, Brenda can demonstrate how committed she is to ethical issues such as human rights or social justice. Ethics and code of conducts should be living documents that identify how a company plans to support the communities in which it operates. Brenda’s military experiences served to reinforce the values and morals she was raised on. The military guiding principles and statues are founded on the fundamental ethics, morals and values that define this country. From enlistment and throughout her military career these principles and statues were consistently strengthened. It has become part of her life story and impacts her decision-making process today. Moreover, it provides the basis or foundation for Brenda’s personal ethical leadership
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.
The importance of ethical leadership is emphasised in theories of ethical leadership such as transformation theories which seek to raise the consciousness of followers by appealing to ideals and moral values rather than to materialistic desires or negative emotions such as fear and jealousy; Servant leadership theory which explains why the primary concern of the leaders should be to nurture, develop, and protect followers; Spiritual leadership theory which explains how leaders can enhance the spiritual meaning in the work experienced by followers; Authentic leadership theory which describes an ideal leader whose behavior is guided by strong positive values, (Yukl, 2010). In addition, all these theories emphasise the importance of leadership
Y Scouts describes an ethical leader as someone who is not afraid to do what is right even if it is unpopular or inconvenient (Y Scouts, n.d.). They also state that some of the traits an exemplary ethical leader will display are honesty, justice and respect to others (Y Scouts, n.d.). The leader I think exhibits exemplary ethical conduct is Travis Zarlingo. He is a Foreman for a construction company in Las Vegas and always shows ethical conduct at his company. First, he is always honest. He is open and truthful with his employees and fellow co-workers. He speaks the truth whether people like it or not. If it is right and ethical he will stand by it no matter what the costs are. Secondly, he always shows respect to others. This is one area
Visionary and ethical leadership are at the forefront of organizational success. The visionary leader can see where they want to be and blaze a trail to the finish line. Ethical leaders lead by knowing and doing what is right. The purpose of this essay is to showcase Andrew Carnegie’s visionary leadership while examining his struggle with ethical leadership. Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish immigrant who moved to New York in 1848 (Luke, n.d.). He worked his way up the ladder from a poor immigrant to a pivotal figure in history. This essay begins examining the visionary leadership characteristics of Carnegie. It showcases his vision, the path he took and the results of his dedication. Furthermore, several examples of Carnegies visionary leadership is tied into the SNCOA course fourteen curriculum. The next section focuses on Mr. Carnegies ethical leadership challenges. The section overviews the areas in which ethics were not considered. In addition, examples and comparisons of the absence are taken into account. The final section correlates the visionary leadership and lack of ethical leadership as it relates to my personal experience. Furthermore, this section reveals the impact and changes to my leadership style. We begin the essay with a look into Andrew Carnegie’s visionary leadership.
Craft, J. (2013) defines ethical leadership and ethical decision making as being capable of identifying the issues as ethical , having the insightfulness as it relates to ethical matters, having the ability to interpret a circumstances as being ethical, possess the intellect to decide what is ethically correct. Leadership should have the skills to compare ethical issues and select the most important one. The writer stated that leadership and ethical decision making involves awareness, judgment, intent, and behavior.
My personal code of ethics is constructed by a set of ideas and standards that are guided through the use of knowledge and personal beliefs. Each individual is raised with unique values and experiences that internalize personal identity. Our identity is guided and shaped through the interactions from parents, community, teachers, and peers. Leadership identity is no different. Educational leaders should be given the opportunity to take the time to develop their own personal codes of ethics based on life stories and critical incidents. (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2011, p. 23) Understanding our values and beliefs are the basis for successful leadership. As Shapiro and Stefkovich (2011) state, “a professional ethical code cannot be established without
Schein in his book “Organizational Culture and Leadership” explains how different believes and behaviors start to be logical when we understand their cultures by stating “When we learn to see the world through cultural lenses, all kinds of things begin to make sense that initially were mysterious, frustrating, or seemingly stupid” (2010, p. 13). This kind of foresight should be the starting point in order to manage the tremendously growing diversity in the workforce nowadays. Leaders and administrators of both public and private organizations through their influence are responsible to promote and manage diversity in an ethical manner.
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.
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. .
What do Kenneth Lay, Bernard Ebbers, Conrad Black, Dennis Kozlowski, and Scott Thompson have in common? Yes, they were all in high ranking leadership positions, worked for very large companies, and were men. Unfortunately for the companies they worked for, they also lacked any sense of ethical leadership. Ethics are very important in the business world, and managers need to do all they can to hire and retain ethical people.
“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’