...MORAL LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS By: Mary Catherine Miller Why Ethical Leadership is Important: Ethical leadership is the backbone of any successful corporation. When an organization exercises an ethical value frequently, it becomes ingrained in the culture of the business. As a leader of this company you are expected to display the stated core values of the company and uphold the vision of the company overall. The first step in abiding by a code of ethics is understanding the expectations of the company. This section of the handbook, we will discuss the vision of the company as well as the mission statement. We will identify the four core values and define them in regards to the behaviors we expect our employees’ to exhibit. This section of the handbook is not an exhaustive code of conduct; rather it is a guide for the moral and ethical behavior that is expected of our employees at all levels of the company. What it Means to Our Company: The leadership of this company actively engages employees’ in activities in which they can use the stated values. By committing resources that encourage the behaviors of the value and reward the behavior when it is exhibited we believe that all employees will be more engaged and readily exhibit the moral leadership desired by the company (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, & Cardy, 2010) A strong code of ethics should address the four most common elements that lead to unethical decision-making. They are; the absence of transparency, unwarranted...
Words: 1708 - Pages: 7
...December 8, 2013 Title of Assignment: Final Term Paper: Business Ethics and the Moral Foundation of Effective Leadership CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed in the paper. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas or words, either quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course. Student's Signature: _____Kandis D. Gaines_________________________ ***************************************************************** Instructor's Grade on Assignment: Instructor's Comments: Business Ethics and the Moral Foundation of Effective Leadership Introduction In the global business spectrum, ethics play a huge role within any form of business where key ethical principles such as morals, values, and judgment determine the overall success and direction of the company. Managers and entrepreneurs who make moral determinations behind ethics build trust and create positive relationships with their employees, consumers, and investors. This form of ethical behavior leads to substantial growth for the corporation along with maximizing profits and building a great reputation. Ethics in business is the upmost importance in keeping a company stable and an essential component to a successful and effective long term business leadership. When making business decisions, organizational leaders who...
Words: 4948 - Pages: 20
...11/26/03 5:38 PM Page 302 CHAPTER 13 Ethics and Leadership Effectiveness Joanne B. Ciulla T he moral triumphs and failures of leaders carry a greater weight and volume than those of nonleaders (Ciulla, 2003b). In leadership we see morality magnified, and that is why the study of ethics is fundamental to our understanding of leadership. The study of ethics is about human relationships. It is about what we should do and what we should be like as human beings, as members of a group or society, and in the different roles that we play in life. It is about right and wrong and good and evil. Leadership is a particular type of human relationship. Some hallmarks of this relationship are power and/or influence, vision, obligation, and responsibility. By understanding the ethics of this relationship, we gain a better understanding of leadership, because some of the central issues in ethics are also the central issues of leadership. They include the personal challenges of authenticity, self-interest, and self-discipline, and moral obligations related to justice, duty, competence, and the greatest good. Some of the most perceptive work on leadership and ethics comes from old texts and is out there waiting to be rediscovered and reapplied. History is filled with wisdom and case studies on the morality of leaders and leadership. Ancient scholars from the East and West offer insights that enable us to understand leadership and Author’s Note: A special thanks goes...
Words: 13956 - Pages: 56
...11/26/03 5:38 PM Page 302 CHAPTER 13 Ethics and Leadership Effectiveness Joanne B. Ciulla T he moral triumphs and failures of leaders carry a greater weight and volume than those of nonleaders (Ciulla, 2003b). In leadership we see morality magnified, and that is why the study of ethics is fundamental to our understanding of leadership. The study of ethics is about human relationships. It is about what we should do and what we should be like as human beings, as members of a group or society, and in the different roles that we play in life. It is about right and wrong and good and evil. Leadership is a particular type of human relationship. Some hallmarks of this relationship are power and/or influence, vision, obligation, and responsibility. By understanding the ethics of this relationship, we gain a better understanding of leadership, because some of the central issues in ethics are also the central issues of leadership. They include the personal challenges of authenticity, self-interest, and self-discipline, and moral obligations related to justice, duty, competence, and the greatest good. Some of the most perceptive work on leadership and ethics comes from old texts and is out there waiting to be rediscovered and reapplied. History is filled with wisdom and case studies on the morality of leaders and leadership. Ancient scholars from the East and West offer insights that enable us to understand leadership and Author’s Note: A special thanks goes...
Words: 13956 - Pages: 56
...Unethical Leadership Richard Borashan Randall Carter Jr. Ting-Jung Hsu Ya-Hui Hu University of La Verne October 12, 2011 Table of Contents * Abstract * Introduction * What is the moral responsibility of a leader * Why is the moral responsibility of a leader important * Principals of ethical leadership * Five ethical behaviors * The impact of unethical leadership in organizations * Examples of unethical leadership * Conclusion * References Abstract The purpose of this paper is to understand the principals and the differences between ethical and unethical leadership. The research area includes areas of the characteristics of ethical and unethical leaders, how they operate, what places them in either category, and how the theories translate into the real world. Some examples of questions raised are as follows: What it means to be ethical and unethical, how can one distinguish between the two, and do people like this exist in the real world. Based on the research and the answers a guideline is set to define the difference between the two types of leaders. Introduction There is no question that many companies have prompted to carry out the ethics issues, and they are also making a set of the organizational cultures. In the mean time, some companies, which have further view, are also providing ethics training to managers. Nowadays, business always needs to pay attention to ethics and leadership, and its ethics is not only...
Words: 2238 - Pages: 9
...Introduction In recent years, there are many corporate ethics scandals, which raised significant enquires about the roles of leadership in shaping ethical conduct (Brown, Trevino & Harrison 2005). Leaders by nature are responsible for motivating their subordinates to carry out a task or to behave in a certain manner. According to Starratt (2005), ethical leadership requires ethical leaders, as it is believed that how the leaders conduct themselves have direct impact to the organization in terms of organizational culture and employee values. Also mentioned by Resick et al. (2006), ethical leadership focuses on how leaders use their social power in decision-making, influencing others as well as the actions they engage in. Therefore, if leaders are ethical, they can maintain high level of ethical awareness and ensure that ethical practices are carried out throughout the organization. Often, ethical leaders display a high level of integrity that is important to stimulate a sense of leadership trustworthiness. These factors provide the foundation for personal characteristics, which directly impact a leader’s ethical beliefs, values, and decisions. However, studies also show that leadership integrity only accounts for one minor portion of a person’s trait. In this essay, we attempt to provide insights and discuss ethical leadership and also attempt to prove that ethical leader is mostly about leadership integrity. Moral Person and Moral Manager While production and profitability...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...The Moral Compass Leadership for a Free World Lindsay J Thompson Leadership Ethics Course Manual ~ © 2005 Lindsay J Thompson ~ All rights reserved 2 THE MORAL COMPASS Leadership for a Free World Table of Contents introduction page 5 core learning page 9 the leadership labyrinth page 11 the m oral com pass page 27 values and global value creation page 73 corporate citizenship page 93 bibliography page 109 the case lab page 113 Leadership Ethics Course Manual ~ © 2005 Lindsay J Thompson ~ All rights reserved 3 Leadership Ethics Course Manual ~ © 2005 Lindsay J Thompson ~ All rights reserved 4 introduction Moral Leadership for a Free World If you read a newspaper this morning, you almost surely read something related to morality, leadership, and freedom. From international relations to neighborhood and family life, concerns about leadership ethics and human welfare are the focus of news, political movements, and civic initiatives. Emotionally engaging terms like “moral leadership,” “the free world” and “human freedom” are often used in the media without much explanation or clarification. Momentous decisions are made and life choices established in the name of values attached to these and similar terms. What do we really mean by “moral leadership,” or “freedom?” If two people use these terms in a conversation, do they explicitly share a common understanding of them or just assume common ground? For instance...
Words: 29833 - Pages: 120
...Leadership, Ethics, and Scandal Leadership and ethics are two topics that are a part of the training for all military leaders, both officers and enlisted and across all branches of service. Leadership can be defined in any number of ways. Kouzes and Posner quote Genentech executive Alan Keith as saying “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen” (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 16). Keith’s idea of what defines leadership is one of the better definitions in print today. Ethics are defined as the moral principles that dictate a person’s or a group’s behavior. By using the ideas and writings of Terry Price (2008) and Craig Johnson (2012) a concept of what ethical leadership can be obtained. Ethical leadership is knowing what your core values are and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good; whether it is in private or in public (Price, 2008/ Johnson, 2012). Over the past few years the Army has seen its share of scandals involving a number of top leaders. A few of the more notable reports involved former four-star General William “Kip” Ward, one-star Brigadier General Jeffrey A. Sinclair, former Colonel James H. Johnson III, and former CIA Director and retired Army four-star General David H. Petraeus (Briggs, 2012, Nov. 15). Army four-star general William “Kip” Ward, the first officer to open the new Africa Command in 2008, came under scrutiny for allegations...
Words: 3485 - Pages: 14
...Business Ethics in Leadership Corey C Calhoun Sr. Liberty University 05/03/2016 Business Ethics in Leadership Recent corporate scandals, such as Enron, Parlamat, and WorldCom, have generated significant attention in the field of business ethics. Whereas the interest in this subject pre-dates these scandals, they have undoubtedly raised the profile of ethical concerns in business among scholars, practitioners, and governments (Knights & O’Leary, 2006). Additionally, there is a growing concern on what role leadership plays in perpetuating ethical values in an organization. Consequently, scholars are concerned with discerning leadership qualities that would ensure moral and effective practices in a company. What is the relationship between leadership and ethics? One of the key questions (or in some cases assumptions) in the literature on leadership is regarding the nature of the relationship between leadership and ethics. The definition question in leadership studies is not really about the question ‘‘What is leadership?’’ It is about the question ‘‘What is good leadership?’’ By good, I mean morally good and effective. This is why I think it is fair to say that ethics lies at the heart of leadership studies. Leaders worthy of the name, whether they are university presidents or senators, corporation executives or newspaper editors, school superintendents or governors, contribute to the continuing definition and articulation of the most cherished...
Words: 2478 - Pages: 10
...Introduction of the relationship between leadership and ethics. First, leadership is a process that is not specifically a function of the person in charge. Leadership is a function of individual wills and individual needs, and the result of the dynamics of collective will organized to meet those various needs. Second, leadership is a process of adaption and of evolution; it is a process of dynamic exchange and the interchanges of value. Leadership is deviation from convention. Third, leadership is a process of energy, not structure. In this way, leadership is different from management-managers pursue stability, while leadership is all about change (Barker 2001, p.491). In organizational terms, as in life in general, ethics are beliefs about what is right or wrong, they provide a basis for judging the appropriateness of behavior and they guide people in their dealings with other individuals, groups and organizations, managers are witnessing to those right and wrongs. (Khar, Praveen & Aggarwal,2011; Hansen, 2011). As Wines (2008, p.484) commented: ‘At bedrock, those who profess ethics believe that human beings are autonomous moral actors capable of making meaningful choices’. 6Approaches to ethics tend to fall into one of two philosophical camps: the consequentialist (teleological) and the non-consequentialist (deontological) (Pettit2003; Harper et al, 1996). Consequentialists argue that ethical values are meaningless unless they are actively promoted. For consequentialists...
Words: 10596 - Pages: 43
...AN EXAMINATION OF LEADERSHIP TO DETERMINE A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ETHICAL DECISION MAKING Michael S. Huckaby BBA 4751 Business Ethics Professor Fernando Chavez Leadership is a complex and ever evolving skill-set. Good leaders not only guide behaviors of followers, but lead them and their organization to achieve common objectives. Good leaders have an ability to adapt to any setting so everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving problems. Leaders of various levels of success have been studied throughout history, some good, some bad, but everlasting questions are always at the forefront of studying leadership: What is a good leader? What is the right approach to leadership or style of leadership? Do certain types of leaders produce better results? Are ethical leaders always the best leaders? If a single answer to these questions existed, perhaps society could build the mold of the perfect leader and distribute it throughout the world to solve the greater problems of society. However, this approach is unrealistic, so society is left to explore leadership in an effort to understand what makes a good leader. The primary purpose of this research paper is to critically examine whether a direct correlation exists between leadership style and ethical decision making. To answer this question, the author will examine each leadership style in terms of its definition, its multi-faceted dimensions or characteristics, and the associated...
Words: 3994 - Pages: 16
...Name of the Class Professor The Name of the University The city and State where it is Located The Date PORTFOLIO OF EVIDENCE Business Ethics is standards of guiding behavior of both an individual and the business. They are principles of acting ethically. When a company or an individual is acting morally, it means that they can make the right choice. Only by making a distinction between what is wrong and what is right (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2003). Business ethics is, therefore, meant to guide controversial issues in a company environment. These issues include corporate social responsibility, discrimination, unlawful practices, corporate governance, bribery or corruption, insider trading and other irresponsible business behaviors. Ethics is at times guided by local frameworks chosen by different companies. These structures act as a way of enhancing their image and public trust, but it is a requirement that values is guided by a duly constituted legal framework (Paliwal, 2006). This paper, therefore, discusses business ethics in an organizational context and also delves into ethical dilemmas, moral leadership, interpersonal skills and teamwork in an enterprise environment. Appendix A- The Ethical Leadership Debate Ethical leadership incorporates two key aspects. The first point refers to the way the leader treats and works with the subordinates in his behavior in public, and also in his actions and statements. The...
Words: 1559 - Pages: 7
...What is Ethical Leadership some may ask. It is leadership that shows through the actions of having respect for ethical beliefs and values, and for the dignity and rights of others. Ethics is associated with the morals and values an individual finds desirable. It is a philosophical term originating from Greek word “ethos” meaning custom or character. While in the United States Marine Corps, the definition of ethics in an organizational setting was as follows: “Ethics”, in an organizational context, comprises a set of behavioral standards, expressed as norms, principles, procedural guides, or rules of behavior, defining what is appropriate (right) and inappropriate(wrong). Grounded in a system of values and moral principles, these behavioral...
Words: 1451 - Pages: 6
...ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY Does moral leadership matter? MBA412-Fall, 2014 BIBHU DASH 2014 Contemporary Business Perspective and Leadership Skills Table of Contents Page # 1. Introduction 2. Basic concepts and analysis of Moral and Ethical Leadership 3. Definition of Concepts a. Defining Leadership b. Defining Moral Leadership 4. Current State of Knowledge a. Literature Review 5. Argument Map 6. Assumptions and Point of View by Stakeholders 7. Evaluation of Argument a. Wheel Of Critical Thinking b. Universal Intellectual standards Evaluation 8. Key Take-Away 9. Plan to enhance Moral leadership skills a. Plan Table 10. Bibliography 2 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 14 1 Introduction Does moral leadership matter? In my opinion, yes it really does matter. Even if for high organization performance the leadership has to focus on high shareholder returns, but it should not solely focus on returns by compromising boundaries of morality. In this paper we will discuss whether moral leadership is crucial for an organization to be successful. First, we will define what moral leadership is and will discuss what are the standards of morality that needs to be maintained in a high performing organization. Then we will discuss whether the moral standards will be same for both personal and organization or they will be different. Then we will talk about the current state of knowledge of this topic and the implications and recommendations that we have found from our literature...
Words: 4351 - Pages: 18
...ethical leadership? Michel Dion ´ Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada Abstract Purpose – The aim of this study is to know if ethical theories could be connected to some leadership approaches. Design/methodology/approach – In the paper eight leadership approaches are selected: directive leadership, self-leadership, authentic leadership, transactional leadership, shared leadership, charismatic leadership, servant leadership, transformational leadership. Five western ethical theories (philosophical egoism, utilitarianism, Kantianism, ethics of virtue, ethics of responsibility) are analyzed to see to what extent their basic concepts could be connected to one or the other leadership approach. Findings – A given ethical theory (such as philosophical egoism) could be suitable to the components of various leadership approaches. Ethical leadership does not imply that a given leadership approach is reflecting only one ethical theory. Rather, ethical leadership implies that for different reasons, various leadership approaches could agree with the same ethical theory. This is what we could call the “moral flexibility of leadership approaches”. Research limitations/implications – This study focuses on western ethical theories. A similar study should be undertaken for Eastern ethical theories coming from Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, or Daoism. Practical implications – Some dualisms (such as Kantianism-transformational leadership, philosophical egoism-transactional leadership) do...
Words: 11184 - Pages: 45
