Ethical Leadership
Leadership and Ethics in the Workplace
Ismail A 'A Mustafaa
Brandman University
April 21, 2012
Abstract
When leaders commit ethical violations we often assume that the leader lacks principles, morals, values, and ethics. The purpose of this research paper is to examine and identify the pitfalls that leaders encounter in regards to ethical leadership in the workforce. The author will also look at the different definitions of ethical leadership, look at what the past and current challenges that ethical leaders face and analysis the pitfalls that contribute to leaders abandoning their ethics, try to discover if there any warning signs for organizations to be aware of that a leader is about to abandon his ethics, and examine any solutions …show more content…
for leaders to help them from abandoning their ethics when faced with complex and difficult situations at work.
Table of contents
Page
Introduction…………… 4 Research Purpose 5 Literature Question 5 Research Question 1 5 Research Question 2................................................................................................6 Literature Review.................................................................................................................9 Conclusions 12 References 15
Leadership and Ethics in the Workplace
The New York Times/CBS News conducted a poll in 1985 and they discovered that 55% of the American public believe that most corporate executives are dishonest and 59% percent of Americans believe that white color crimes occur on a regular basis. In 1987 a survey was conducted with 671 executives and the Wall Street Journal published an article that had discovered that one-fourth of the 671 executives that conducted the study believed that ethics can hinder a successful career and of those surveyed over half of the executives they knew, bent the rules to get ahead (Gini, 1997). Does one have to be unethical to succeed in corporate America?
Recently there has been concerns with ethical leadership in the corporate business world to include the United States Military do to numerous scandals in corporations such as Enron, Worldcom, and most recently the United States Army. The United States Army just recently had a General Officer that was relieved of his post in connection with alcohol and sexual misconduct charges (Knights & O 'Leary, 2006, p. 125). Despite the growing concern with ethical leadership, the study of ethics is still very young and the study of how the effect of ethics trickles from the top down has barely been researched (Ruiz, Ruiz, & Martinez, 2011, p. 587).
The purpose of this literature review is to understand how success and/or power corrupt some but not all leaders. At this stage in the research ethical leadership will be defined as knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good. As the basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct. It includes universal values such as the essential equality of all men and women, human or natural rights, obedience to the law of land, concern for health and safety and, increasingly, also for the natural environment.
The literature review will look at the different definitions of ethical leadership, look at what the current challenges that ethical leaders face and analysis the pitfalls that contribute to leaders abandoning their ethics, try to discover if there any warning signs for organizations to be aware of that a leader is about to abandon his ethics, and examine any solutions for leaders to help them from abandoning their ethics when faced with complex and difficult situations at work.
Research Purpose:
The purpose of this research paper is to examine and identify the pitfalls that leaders encounter in regards to ethical leadership in the workforce. The author will look at the different definitions of ethical leadership, look at what the past and current challenges that ethical leaders face and analysis the pitfalls that contribute to leaders abandoning their ethics, try to discover if there any warning signs for organizations to be aware of that a leader is about to abandon his ethics, and examine any solutions for leaders to help them from abandoning their ethics when faced with complex and difficult situations at work.
Research Question:
1. Define Ethical Leadership from two different resources to find the commonalities of what Ethical Leadership is perceived to consist of.
2. What are some of the pitfalls of Ethical Leaders, and what can be done to try to help leaders from abandoning their morals, values, and ethics.
Research Question One: Define Ethical Leadership: With a growing consensus that businesses need to be ethical, society turns to educators and consultants to help improve ethical behavior in business. Yet it is not too clear how they can help (Duska, 1998).
What is Ethical leadership?
The Center for Ethical Leadership (2013) defines ethical leadership as knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good. Researchers in the field of applied psychology define ethical leadership as the demonstration of appropriate conduct through personal actions and relationships and the promotion of such conduct to subordinates through two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision making (Barnes & Doty, 2010). When looking at the definition of ethical leadership from two different sources the common theme is looking out for the interest of the group rather than the individual himself.
Research Question Two: Pitfalls for Ethical Leaders It is suggested that many ethical violations by upper managers are the by-products of success and not of competitive pressure (Ludwig & Longenecker, 1993). When leaders commit ethical violations we often think it is because the leader lacks values and principles. However some may argue that leaders that commit ethical violations are people that have a strong sense of ethics and moral values (Van Velsor & Ascalon, 2008). So why then do leaders that work so hard to make it to the top of their organization decide to abandon their ethics? There are many examples of leaders that have made it to the top in their organization only to fall on their sword for abandoning their ethics, morals, and values. You can find examples …show more content…
of such behavior in literature, the Bible, and in the news on the television or the internet. In the story written by Plato there is a character named Gyges who abandons his ethics. Gyges was a shepherd that worked for the king of Lydia. One day there was an earthquake that created a whole in the ground, Gyges went down into the hole and discovered a corpse that had a gold ring on his finger and he took the ring. The king held a monthly meeting and Gyges wore the ring to the meeting, he turned the setting of the ring towards himself, and when he did that he became invisible. Gyges realized what had happened so he conjured up a plot to take over the kingdom. He arranged to be one of the messengers that reported to the king and when he arrived he seduced the king 's wife, attacked the king with her help, and killed the king (Price, 2000).
The biblical example of a leader that abandoned his ethics, morals, and values is outlined in the story of David and Bathsheba which is contained in the Old Testament and the Torah. It is most commonly known as the Bathsheba Syndrome. As the story goes David was a king that had a humble past, a quick rise to power, strong organizational skills, a vision for his people, he was a man with a charismatic personality with a high moral character. David had it all. He had power, wealth, loyal servants, a strong army, and his country was thriving and growing. The story begins with David 's Army in battle.
Instead of him leading his troops into battle as a king should do, he stayed home leaving his general Joab in charge. David felt that with the recent success in battles that his army has had, they did not need him to be there because Joab was capable enough to ensure the continuous success of his army. David delegated his authority to Joab so he could go back home and relax because he wanted more time for leisure. He may have felt like he deserved a break after his earlier battles. While David was back at home he had privileged access that others did not have. From his rooftop on his palace he was able to look down and see things from a view that could not be seen from below. From his privileged vantage point he was able to see Bathsheba as she bathed.
David does not know who the woman is that he has seen bathing, so he sends his servants to investigate and find the woman 's name (a clear example of using corporate resources for self gain). The servants informed David that the woman 's name was Bathsheba, she was married, and she was married to one of his officers, Uriah, who was away in battle. Even though David knows it is wrong, he sends for Bathsheba, sleeps with her, and gets her
pregnant.
David tries to cover up his violation by sending for Bathsheba 's husband Uriah hoping that he will sleep with his wife since he has been away in battle for a few months. But Uriah does not sleep with his wife, he feels that it would be inappropriate for him to sleep with his own wife while his men are still engaged in the battle. So David gets Uriah drunk hoping that this will do the trick, but it does not. Finally, David gives Uriah a message to deliver to Joab, the general in charge of the troops in the battle. The message was Uriah 's death sentence. It instructed Joab to send Uriah to the fiercest battle and then to withdrawal. David thought he had covered up his indiscretion so after Uriah 's death he married Bathsheba. It was the prophet Nathan that came and exposed David 's unethical behavior to his people (Ludwig & Longenecker, 1993).
The present day example of a leader that has abandoned his morals, values, and ethics can easily be found by watching the news on television or searching the internet. As resent as April 2013 General Ralph Baker worked for the United States Africa
Command (U.S. AFRICOM) and he was relieved of his duties by his superior commander do to alcohol and sexual misconduct charges. The charges involve harassment and inappropriate conduct (Baldor, 2013). In another incident a General William "Kip" Ward was demoted in rank from a four star general to a three star general and then forced to retire after an investigation determined that he had misused government funds for lavish spending while he was the commander of U.S. AFRICOM (Associated Press, 2013).
Literature Review: The focus of the literature review is to identify any indicators on why leader abandon their ethics and to identify any resources or training that may be useful to an organizational to help keep leaders from abandoning their ethics. The thought that businesses need to be ethical is growing. Society has turned to educators and consultants to help businesses become more ethical (Duska, 1998).
Organizations throughout the United States are also recognizing the importance of ethical behavior. The Conference Board reports that 95% of all fortune 500 firms have established codes of conduct. The Ethics Resource Center in Washington DC discovered an increase in the number of companies that have ethics offices rise from 11% to 45%. They also reported an increase of 22% of employee specific training offered (Grojean, Resick, Dickson, & Smith, 2004). According to Langlois and LaPointe (2010) ethics brings out a person’s sense of responsibility towards one’s own actions and individuals should have self-control (p149). With the constant violations of ethics by leaders in organizations there must be a solution to help to guide and mentor leaders from abandoning their ethics, values, and morals. Is it up to corporate America to try to develop an answer to the question or is it up to the education system of the business colleges to try to find the solution to what it is that drives ethical leaders to abandon their ethics, morals, and values?
Langlois and Lapointe (2010) conducted a three year action research study that consisted of 30 educational administrators placed into three different groups.
Data was collected from a pre- and post-training questionnaire, individual semi-structured interviews and group interviews. The variables considered in the research were: gender, age, number of years of experience in teaching, number of years of experience in educational administration, language, and membership in a professional association.
During the research participants participated in a program called TERA. They answered a questionnaire to assess ethical leadership before the first session and during the last meeting. Throughout the program there were six meetings, one every 3 months where the groups came together to conduct an analyzes.
The results showed how a training program that consist of dialogue can help to improve the understanding of ethics. It also showed that throughout the research participants. No difference was noticed between male and female participants but there was a difference noticed when it came to experience of individuals.
Holian (2002) conducted a study to look into the grey areas of decision making that managers deal with in order to understand the skills, competencies, and development needs required of a leader. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase one was a study of an organization and it took 12 months to complete. The study consisted of over 200 managers and explored personal and team skills and dynamics, leadership, communication and stressors, and drew on the organizational experiences of role models in each group that were credible and approachable. Phase two consisted of conducting in-depth interviews. 39 participants from 32 different organizations were included.
The literature used in the study consisted of moral philosophy, gender, education, work experience, culture, codes of ethics, rewards and sanctions. Four key categories were identifed and they are judgement, integrity, courage, and humanity. The study discovered that while judgement and integrity may be primary requirements for ethical decision making, courage and humanity were also important factors.
According to Velsor and Ascalon (2008), when individuals display unethical behavior we often assume that it is because the individual lacks ethics, values, and morals. However others believe leaders abandon their ethics because of four factors.
1. They suffer from complacency and they lose focus. They delegate their duties to others and they begin to indulge in the spoils of being successful. They fail to realize that they can delegate authority but they cannot delegate responsibility. They are still in charge.
2. They gain access to privileged information or other scarce resources that their position allows them to have. They use this information to their advantage.
3. They gain unrestrained control of organizational resources and they have not been properly trained or mentored so they abuse the newly aqurired resources that they have control over.
4. They begin to belief that they can control any situations and the outcome. They are isolated from workers and lack feedback of their performance which eventually leads to them believing that they can do whatever they want and no one will question them.
Van Velsor and Ascalon (2008) conducted a qualitative analysis of data on learning and goals set and achieved in Europe. The research was conducted in two parts. In part one a small group of 42 English speaking senior executives were interviewed. They were asked to think of two managers they knew. One that made it to the top and one that they thought was going to make it but did not.
Success factors that were pointed out where the ability to develop or adapt when given feedback or when changes in the workforce occured, a consitancy in good performance, establishing strong relationships, and being technically proficient. Other factors were creativity, problem solving abilities, strong communication skills, and integrity.
Factors that derailed mangers from succeeding were a poor working relationship. They were insensitive, manipulative, critical, demanding, or not trustworthy. They did not work well with others and they lacked the ability to adapt.
In part two of the research, the focus was on the impact of a feedback intensive Leadership Development Program would be on leaders. the phase consisted of 84 people from 25 different countries. The research consisted of a 360 multi rater survey that their colleagues filled out about their leadership and job performance. The they were interviewed 30 days and 120 days after the program was complete to collect feedback on their progress. They reported that from the program they learned about their own strengths and weaknesses and were better able to work on their weaknesses while maintaining their strengths.
Conclusions
Concerns regarding leaders and their ethics is a growing concern in our society. Rowe and Guerrero (2013) have presented five principles that they believe that will lead to the development of ethical leaders and they are.
1. Show respect for others. Leaders should treat others with dignity and respect. This recognizes that followers have their own goals as well and they have a value to the organization. This will lead to empathy, being an active listener, and being open minded to different viewpoints.
2. Service to others. Leaders place their employees first and they will not let their ego get in the way. They are serving as a servant leader by supporting and developing their followers. They are building a team and empowering employees.
3. Justice for others. Leaders will be just and fair and treat all employees equally ensuring not to show favortism.
4. Honesty toward others. Leaders require trust because dishonesty destroys trust. If a leader is honest with his employees they will trust him and they will build a stronger relationship in the workplace.
5. Build communities with others. Ethical leaders build community with others which is crucial because leadership is about influencing others to achieve a common goal. This means that leaders develop organizational or team goals that are appropriate for the leader and his or her followers. These goals need to excite as many people as possible, and ethical leaders achieve this by taking into account the goals of everyone in the team or organization.
Ludwig and Longenecker (1993) suggest that there are four items that leaders need to consider about Ethical Leadership.
1. It can happen to anybody. No leader is exempt falling victim of losing his way. Leaders should read and study about leaders that have fallen, this will be a constant reminder of what may happen if you think you are untouchable.
2. Live a balanced life. Balance your career and your family so you do not lose touch with reality. Your family and personal interest will help your success to meaningful.
3. Do not forget that you provide the task and the purpose to your employees. Your position comes with extra resources that are to be used for the good of the company and your employees, do not abuse them.
4. Build an ethical team. Surround yourself with others that will inspire you to remain ethical and that will help you when making decisions.
The company can also implement a few checks and balances to help leaders from crossing that ethical line. Corporations should be concerned with their leaders personal and psychological being. They should ensure that their leaders maintain a balance life by ensuring that they take vacations, participate in activities outside of the office, and conduct period counseling. Corporations should also conduct audits, set up a program were employees can report unethical behavior, establish a code of ethics and conduct training on ethics..
References
Azuka, E. B. (2009). Ethics of Leadership and the Integrity Question Among Leaders. Ife Psychologia,17(1) , 11-26. doi:219469248.
Baldor, L. C. (2013, April 05). Officals: general fired over alcohol, sex charges. Retrieved from Military.com News: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/04/05/officials-general-fired-over-alcohol-sex-charges.html
Barnes, C. M., & Doty, J. (2010). What does contemporary science say about ethical leadership? The Army Ethic 2010, Miltary Review , 90-94.
Brenner, S. N. (1992). Ethics programs and their dimensions. Journal of Business Ethics,11(5,6) , 391.
Ciulla, J. B. (2009). Leadership and the ethics of care. Journal of Business Ethics,88(1) , 3-4. doi: 10.1007/s10551-009-0105-1.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Duska, R. (1998). Organizational ethics and the good life/ethical dimensions of leadership. Administrative Science Quarterly , 713-719. doi: 203956587.
Ethical Leadership. (2013, April 02). Retrieved from Center for Ethical Leadership: http://ethicalleadership.org/about-us/philosophies-definitions/ethical-leadership
Gini, A. (1997). Moral leadership and business ethics. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies , 65-81. doi: 10.1177/107179199700400406.
Grojean, M. W., Resick, C. J., Dickson, M. W., & Smith, B. D. (2004). Leaders, values, and organizational climate: examining leadership strategies for establishing an organizational climate regarding ethics. Journal of Business Ethics,55(3) , 223-241. doi: 10.1007/s10551-004-1275-5.
Hollan, R. (2002). Management decision making and ethics: practices, skills and preferences. Management Decision , 862-870. doi: 10.1108/00251740210442422.
Knights, D., & O 'Leary, M. (2006). Leadership, ethics and responsibility to the other. Journal of Business Ethics,67(2) , 125-137. doi: 10.1007/s10551-006-9008-6.
Langlois, L., & Lapointe, C. (2010). Can ethics be learned. Journal of Educational Administration, 48(2) , 147-163. doi:10.1108/095782310110278245.
Literature, R. (2013, March 09). The Writing Center. Retrieved from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-reviews/
Ludwig, D. C., & Longenecker, C. O. (1993). The Bathsheba Syndrome: The ethical failure of successful leaders. Journal of Business Ethics, 12(4) , 265-265. doi: 198104815.
Press, A. (2013, April 04). Defense officals: army general fired over alcohol, sexual misconduct charges. Retrieved from The Washington Post: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-04/world/38276102_1_carter-ham-air-force-lt-army-gen
Price, T. L. (2000). Explaning ethical failures of leadership. The Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 177-184.
Rowe, W. G., & Guerrero, L. (2013). Cases in leadership, Third Edition. SAGE Publications, Inc .
Ruiz, P., Ruiz, C., & Martinez, R. (2011). Improving the "leader-follower" relationship: top manager or supervisor? the ethical leadership trickle-down effect on follower job response. Journal of Business Ethics , 587-608. doi: 10.1007.
Van Velsor, E., & Ascalon, E. (2008). The role and impact of leadership development in supporting ethical action in organisations. The Journal of Management Development, 27(2) , 187-195. doi: 10.1108/02621710810849326.
Ismail A 'A Mustafaa
Brandman University
April 21, 2012
Abstract
When leaders commit ethical violations we often assume that the leader lacks principles, morals, values, and ethics. The purpose of this research paper is to examine and identify the pitfalls that leaders encounter in regards to ethical leadership in the workforce. The author will also look at the different definitions of ethical leadership, look at what the past and current challenges that ethical leaders face and analysis the pitfalls that contribute to leaders abandoning their ethics, try to discover if there any warning signs for organizations to be aware of that a leader is about to abandon his ethics, and examine any solutions …show more content…
for leaders to help them from abandoning their ethics when faced with complex and difficult situations at work.
Table of contents
Page
Introduction…………… 4 Research Purpose 5 Literature Question 5 Research Question 1 5 Research Question 2................................................................................................6 Literature Review.................................................................................................................9 Conclusions 12 References 15
Leadership and Ethics in the Workplace
The New York Times/CBS News conducted a poll in 1985 and they discovered that 55% of the American public believe that most corporate executives are dishonest and 59% percent of Americans believe that white color crimes occur on a regular basis. In 1987 a survey was conducted with 671 executives and the Wall Street Journal published an article that had discovered that one-fourth of the 671 executives that conducted the study believed that ethics can hinder a successful career and of those surveyed over half of the executives they knew, bent the rules to get ahead (Gini, 1997). Does one have to be unethical to succeed in corporate America?
Recently there has been concerns with ethical leadership in the corporate business world to include the United States Military do to numerous scandals in corporations such as Enron, Worldcom, and most recently the United States Army. The United States Army just recently had a General Officer that was relieved of his post in connection with alcohol and sexual misconduct charges (Knights & O 'Leary, 2006, p. 125). Despite the growing concern with ethical leadership, the study of ethics is still very young and the study of how the effect of ethics trickles from the top down has barely been researched (Ruiz, Ruiz, & Martinez, 2011, p. 587).
The purpose of this literature review is to understand how success and/or power corrupt some but not all leaders. At this stage in the research ethical leadership will be defined as knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good. As the basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct. It includes universal values such as the essential equality of all men and women, human or natural rights, obedience to the law of land, concern for health and safety and, increasingly, also for the natural environment.
The literature review will look at the different definitions of ethical leadership, look at what the current challenges that ethical leaders face and analysis the pitfalls that contribute to leaders abandoning their ethics, try to discover if there any warning signs for organizations to be aware of that a leader is about to abandon his ethics, and examine any solutions for leaders to help them from abandoning their ethics when faced with complex and difficult situations at work.
Research Purpose:
The purpose of this research paper is to examine and identify the pitfalls that leaders encounter in regards to ethical leadership in the workforce. The author will look at the different definitions of ethical leadership, look at what the past and current challenges that ethical leaders face and analysis the pitfalls that contribute to leaders abandoning their ethics, try to discover if there any warning signs for organizations to be aware of that a leader is about to abandon his ethics, and examine any solutions for leaders to help them from abandoning their ethics when faced with complex and difficult situations at work.
Research Question:
1. Define Ethical Leadership from two different resources to find the commonalities of what Ethical Leadership is perceived to consist of.
2. What are some of the pitfalls of Ethical Leaders, and what can be done to try to help leaders from abandoning their morals, values, and ethics.
Research Question One: Define Ethical Leadership: With a growing consensus that businesses need to be ethical, society turns to educators and consultants to help improve ethical behavior in business. Yet it is not too clear how they can help (Duska, 1998).
What is Ethical leadership?
The Center for Ethical Leadership (2013) defines ethical leadership as knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good. Researchers in the field of applied psychology define ethical leadership as the demonstration of appropriate conduct through personal actions and relationships and the promotion of such conduct to subordinates through two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision making (Barnes & Doty, 2010). When looking at the definition of ethical leadership from two different sources the common theme is looking out for the interest of the group rather than the individual himself.
Research Question Two: Pitfalls for Ethical Leaders It is suggested that many ethical violations by upper managers are the by-products of success and not of competitive pressure (Ludwig & Longenecker, 1993). When leaders commit ethical violations we often think it is because the leader lacks values and principles. However some may argue that leaders that commit ethical violations are people that have a strong sense of ethics and moral values (Van Velsor & Ascalon, 2008). So why then do leaders that work so hard to make it to the top of their organization decide to abandon their ethics? There are many examples of leaders that have made it to the top in their organization only to fall on their sword for abandoning their ethics, morals, and values. You can find examples …show more content…
of such behavior in literature, the Bible, and in the news on the television or the internet. In the story written by Plato there is a character named Gyges who abandons his ethics. Gyges was a shepherd that worked for the king of Lydia. One day there was an earthquake that created a whole in the ground, Gyges went down into the hole and discovered a corpse that had a gold ring on his finger and he took the ring. The king held a monthly meeting and Gyges wore the ring to the meeting, he turned the setting of the ring towards himself, and when he did that he became invisible. Gyges realized what had happened so he conjured up a plot to take over the kingdom. He arranged to be one of the messengers that reported to the king and when he arrived he seduced the king 's wife, attacked the king with her help, and killed the king (Price, 2000).
The biblical example of a leader that abandoned his ethics, morals, and values is outlined in the story of David and Bathsheba which is contained in the Old Testament and the Torah. It is most commonly known as the Bathsheba Syndrome. As the story goes David was a king that had a humble past, a quick rise to power, strong organizational skills, a vision for his people, he was a man with a charismatic personality with a high moral character. David had it all. He had power, wealth, loyal servants, a strong army, and his country was thriving and growing. The story begins with David 's Army in battle.
Instead of him leading his troops into battle as a king should do, he stayed home leaving his general Joab in charge. David felt that with the recent success in battles that his army has had, they did not need him to be there because Joab was capable enough to ensure the continuous success of his army. David delegated his authority to Joab so he could go back home and relax because he wanted more time for leisure. He may have felt like he deserved a break after his earlier battles. While David was back at home he had privileged access that others did not have. From his rooftop on his palace he was able to look down and see things from a view that could not be seen from below. From his privileged vantage point he was able to see Bathsheba as she bathed.
David does not know who the woman is that he has seen bathing, so he sends his servants to investigate and find the woman 's name (a clear example of using corporate resources for self gain). The servants informed David that the woman 's name was Bathsheba, she was married, and she was married to one of his officers, Uriah, who was away in battle. Even though David knows it is wrong, he sends for Bathsheba, sleeps with her, and gets her
pregnant.
David tries to cover up his violation by sending for Bathsheba 's husband Uriah hoping that he will sleep with his wife since he has been away in battle for a few months. But Uriah does not sleep with his wife, he feels that it would be inappropriate for him to sleep with his own wife while his men are still engaged in the battle. So David gets Uriah drunk hoping that this will do the trick, but it does not. Finally, David gives Uriah a message to deliver to Joab, the general in charge of the troops in the battle. The message was Uriah 's death sentence. It instructed Joab to send Uriah to the fiercest battle and then to withdrawal. David thought he had covered up his indiscretion so after Uriah 's death he married Bathsheba. It was the prophet Nathan that came and exposed David 's unethical behavior to his people (Ludwig & Longenecker, 1993).
The present day example of a leader that has abandoned his morals, values, and ethics can easily be found by watching the news on television or searching the internet. As resent as April 2013 General Ralph Baker worked for the United States Africa
Command (U.S. AFRICOM) and he was relieved of his duties by his superior commander do to alcohol and sexual misconduct charges. The charges involve harassment and inappropriate conduct (Baldor, 2013). In another incident a General William "Kip" Ward was demoted in rank from a four star general to a three star general and then forced to retire after an investigation determined that he had misused government funds for lavish spending while he was the commander of U.S. AFRICOM (Associated Press, 2013).
Literature Review: The focus of the literature review is to identify any indicators on why leader abandon their ethics and to identify any resources or training that may be useful to an organizational to help keep leaders from abandoning their ethics. The thought that businesses need to be ethical is growing. Society has turned to educators and consultants to help businesses become more ethical (Duska, 1998).
Organizations throughout the United States are also recognizing the importance of ethical behavior. The Conference Board reports that 95% of all fortune 500 firms have established codes of conduct. The Ethics Resource Center in Washington DC discovered an increase in the number of companies that have ethics offices rise from 11% to 45%. They also reported an increase of 22% of employee specific training offered (Grojean, Resick, Dickson, & Smith, 2004). According to Langlois and LaPointe (2010) ethics brings out a person’s sense of responsibility towards one’s own actions and individuals should have self-control (p149). With the constant violations of ethics by leaders in organizations there must be a solution to help to guide and mentor leaders from abandoning their ethics, values, and morals. Is it up to corporate America to try to develop an answer to the question or is it up to the education system of the business colleges to try to find the solution to what it is that drives ethical leaders to abandon their ethics, morals, and values?
Langlois and Lapointe (2010) conducted a three year action research study that consisted of 30 educational administrators placed into three different groups.
Data was collected from a pre- and post-training questionnaire, individual semi-structured interviews and group interviews. The variables considered in the research were: gender, age, number of years of experience in teaching, number of years of experience in educational administration, language, and membership in a professional association.
During the research participants participated in a program called TERA. They answered a questionnaire to assess ethical leadership before the first session and during the last meeting. Throughout the program there were six meetings, one every 3 months where the groups came together to conduct an analyzes.
The results showed how a training program that consist of dialogue can help to improve the understanding of ethics. It also showed that throughout the research participants. No difference was noticed between male and female participants but there was a difference noticed when it came to experience of individuals.
Holian (2002) conducted a study to look into the grey areas of decision making that managers deal with in order to understand the skills, competencies, and development needs required of a leader. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase one was a study of an organization and it took 12 months to complete. The study consisted of over 200 managers and explored personal and team skills and dynamics, leadership, communication and stressors, and drew on the organizational experiences of role models in each group that were credible and approachable. Phase two consisted of conducting in-depth interviews. 39 participants from 32 different organizations were included.
The literature used in the study consisted of moral philosophy, gender, education, work experience, culture, codes of ethics, rewards and sanctions. Four key categories were identifed and they are judgement, integrity, courage, and humanity. The study discovered that while judgement and integrity may be primary requirements for ethical decision making, courage and humanity were also important factors.
According to Velsor and Ascalon (2008), when individuals display unethical behavior we often assume that it is because the individual lacks ethics, values, and morals. However others believe leaders abandon their ethics because of four factors.
1. They suffer from complacency and they lose focus. They delegate their duties to others and they begin to indulge in the spoils of being successful. They fail to realize that they can delegate authority but they cannot delegate responsibility. They are still in charge.
2. They gain access to privileged information or other scarce resources that their position allows them to have. They use this information to their advantage.
3. They gain unrestrained control of organizational resources and they have not been properly trained or mentored so they abuse the newly aqurired resources that they have control over.
4. They begin to belief that they can control any situations and the outcome. They are isolated from workers and lack feedback of their performance which eventually leads to them believing that they can do whatever they want and no one will question them.
Van Velsor and Ascalon (2008) conducted a qualitative analysis of data on learning and goals set and achieved in Europe. The research was conducted in two parts. In part one a small group of 42 English speaking senior executives were interviewed. They were asked to think of two managers they knew. One that made it to the top and one that they thought was going to make it but did not.
Success factors that were pointed out where the ability to develop or adapt when given feedback or when changes in the workforce occured, a consitancy in good performance, establishing strong relationships, and being technically proficient. Other factors were creativity, problem solving abilities, strong communication skills, and integrity.
Factors that derailed mangers from succeeding were a poor working relationship. They were insensitive, manipulative, critical, demanding, or not trustworthy. They did not work well with others and they lacked the ability to adapt.
In part two of the research, the focus was on the impact of a feedback intensive Leadership Development Program would be on leaders. the phase consisted of 84 people from 25 different countries. The research consisted of a 360 multi rater survey that their colleagues filled out about their leadership and job performance. The they were interviewed 30 days and 120 days after the program was complete to collect feedback on their progress. They reported that from the program they learned about their own strengths and weaknesses and were better able to work on their weaknesses while maintaining their strengths.
Conclusions
Concerns regarding leaders and their ethics is a growing concern in our society. Rowe and Guerrero (2013) have presented five principles that they believe that will lead to the development of ethical leaders and they are.
1. Show respect for others. Leaders should treat others with dignity and respect. This recognizes that followers have their own goals as well and they have a value to the organization. This will lead to empathy, being an active listener, and being open minded to different viewpoints.
2. Service to others. Leaders place their employees first and they will not let their ego get in the way. They are serving as a servant leader by supporting and developing their followers. They are building a team and empowering employees.
3. Justice for others. Leaders will be just and fair and treat all employees equally ensuring not to show favortism.
4. Honesty toward others. Leaders require trust because dishonesty destroys trust. If a leader is honest with his employees they will trust him and they will build a stronger relationship in the workplace.
5. Build communities with others. Ethical leaders build community with others which is crucial because leadership is about influencing others to achieve a common goal. This means that leaders develop organizational or team goals that are appropriate for the leader and his or her followers. These goals need to excite as many people as possible, and ethical leaders achieve this by taking into account the goals of everyone in the team or organization.
Ludwig and Longenecker (1993) suggest that there are four items that leaders need to consider about Ethical Leadership.
1. It can happen to anybody. No leader is exempt falling victim of losing his way. Leaders should read and study about leaders that have fallen, this will be a constant reminder of what may happen if you think you are untouchable.
2. Live a balanced life. Balance your career and your family so you do not lose touch with reality. Your family and personal interest will help your success to meaningful.
3. Do not forget that you provide the task and the purpose to your employees. Your position comes with extra resources that are to be used for the good of the company and your employees, do not abuse them.
4. Build an ethical team. Surround yourself with others that will inspire you to remain ethical and that will help you when making decisions.
The company can also implement a few checks and balances to help leaders from crossing that ethical line. Corporations should be concerned with their leaders personal and psychological being. They should ensure that their leaders maintain a balance life by ensuring that they take vacations, participate in activities outside of the office, and conduct period counseling. Corporations should also conduct audits, set up a program were employees can report unethical behavior, establish a code of ethics and conduct training on ethics..
References
Azuka, E. B. (2009). Ethics of Leadership and the Integrity Question Among Leaders. Ife Psychologia,17(1) , 11-26. doi:219469248.
Baldor, L. C. (2013, April 05). Officals: general fired over alcohol, sex charges. Retrieved from Military.com News: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/04/05/officials-general-fired-over-alcohol-sex-charges.html
Barnes, C. M., & Doty, J. (2010). What does contemporary science say about ethical leadership? The Army Ethic 2010, Miltary Review , 90-94.
Brenner, S. N. (1992). Ethics programs and their dimensions. Journal of Business Ethics,11(5,6) , 391.
Ciulla, J. B. (2009). Leadership and the ethics of care. Journal of Business Ethics,88(1) , 3-4. doi: 10.1007/s10551-009-0105-1.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Duska, R. (1998). Organizational ethics and the good life/ethical dimensions of leadership. Administrative Science Quarterly , 713-719. doi: 203956587.
Ethical Leadership. (2013, April 02). Retrieved from Center for Ethical Leadership: http://ethicalleadership.org/about-us/philosophies-definitions/ethical-leadership
Gini, A. (1997). Moral leadership and business ethics. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies , 65-81. doi: 10.1177/107179199700400406.
Grojean, M. W., Resick, C. J., Dickson, M. W., & Smith, B. D. (2004). Leaders, values, and organizational climate: examining leadership strategies for establishing an organizational climate regarding ethics. Journal of Business Ethics,55(3) , 223-241. doi: 10.1007/s10551-004-1275-5.
Hollan, R. (2002). Management decision making and ethics: practices, skills and preferences. Management Decision , 862-870. doi: 10.1108/00251740210442422.
Knights, D., & O 'Leary, M. (2006). Leadership, ethics and responsibility to the other. Journal of Business Ethics,67(2) , 125-137. doi: 10.1007/s10551-006-9008-6.
Langlois, L., & Lapointe, C. (2010). Can ethics be learned. Journal of Educational Administration, 48(2) , 147-163. doi:10.1108/095782310110278245.
Literature, R. (2013, March 09). The Writing Center. Retrieved from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-reviews/
Ludwig, D. C., & Longenecker, C. O. (1993). The Bathsheba Syndrome: The ethical failure of successful leaders. Journal of Business Ethics, 12(4) , 265-265. doi: 198104815.
Press, A. (2013, April 04). Defense officals: army general fired over alcohol, sexual misconduct charges. Retrieved from The Washington Post: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-04/world/38276102_1_carter-ham-air-force-lt-army-gen
Price, T. L. (2000). Explaning ethical failures of leadership. The Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 177-184.
Rowe, W. G., & Guerrero, L. (2013). Cases in leadership, Third Edition. SAGE Publications, Inc .
Ruiz, P., Ruiz, C., & Martinez, R. (2011). Improving the "leader-follower" relationship: top manager or supervisor? the ethical leadership trickle-down effect on follower job response. Journal of Business Ethics , 587-608. doi: 10.1007.
Van Velsor, E., & Ascalon, E. (2008). The role and impact of leadership development in supporting ethical action in organisations. The Journal of Management Development, 27(2) , 187-195. doi: 10.1108/02621710810849326.