Any intentional study of leadership will lead to the study of leader values and ethics. Embedded in authentic, transformational, servant leadership is the concept that personal values and ethical standards cannot be separated from the other performance indicators in leaders who practice these styles.<\/p>\n
Previously we have read that Avolio proposed that transformational leadership is fundamentally morally uplifting (as cited in Northouse, 2016) and leadership has a moral dimension (Northouse, 2016). A review of the current research confirms the hypothesis of Bass that transformational leadership tends to be a robust predictor of performance outcomes across situations (as cited in Wang, Oh, Courtright, & Colbert, 2011), and this study showed it is particularly relevant in contextual performance and team performance. There is also evidence that transformational leadership tends to have a greater effect on employee motivation and attitudes than on performance (Wang et al, 2011). The implication is that leaders have the ability to improve performance and change organizational behaviours and cultures through leadership styles that demonstrate strong ethical principles. One practical application of this research would encourage employers to focus training for upper level managers in the area of transformational leadership in work environments that require team collaboration (Wang et al., 2011). Another practical application is to recruit and select new leaders with the traits of extraversion and emotional stability as these individuals tend to lean towards transformational leadership (Wang et al., 2011).<\/p>\n
Five ethical principles have been proposed as the foundation for sound ethical leadership: respect, service, justice, honesty, and community (Northouse, 2016). These are defined and discussed below.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Respects others \u2013 leaders must believe that others have unconditional worth. If this is the case, then individual differences are valued, and they are permitted to be creative and be themselves. Leaders will defer to followers at times, will listen to them and show empathy, and make opportunities to confirm individuals as having worth.
\n\u2022 Serves others \u2013 leaders will attend to others and be of service to them and make decisions that are beneficial to others. Attending to the needs of others is the primary building block of moral leadership. Leaders have a personal vision that is larger than themselves, and they understand and act on social responsibility.
\n\u2022 Shows justice \u2013 leaders create a culture of fairness and people understand this. When there is a need for different treatment reasons why are clear. Decisions are made that promote the common interest of all. Rules of fairness are used and they are applied in a way that makes sense.
\n\u2022 Manifests honesty \u2013 if leaders are not honest it fosters distrust; leaders are perceived as undependable and unreliable, respect for the leader is diminished, and the relationship becomes strained. However, responsibilities often require leaders to strike a balance between being open and candid and determining what to disclose because there must be a sensitivity to the attitudes and feelings of followers. Manifesting honesty requires a wide set of behaviours.
\n\u2022 Builds Community \u2013 there is a focus on the common good and concern for others. Ethical leaders do not impose their will on others. They are attentive to the interests of the community and culture, embody civic virtue, and have wider moral purposes.<\/p>\n
Obviously all of these principles are important but if I were to rank them I would say that the first would be respect for others. If a leader believes that every other person has inherent worth, the other principles will follow. I would rank manifests honesty as second. Honesty is critical in any manager\/employee relationship so maintaining the relational connection is important, and this can only be achieved through honesty.<\/p>\n
I am looking forward to reading the other blogs and finding out what others thought were the top two, and why.<\/p>\n
References<\/b><\/p>\n
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice<\/i>. (7th ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.<\/p>\n
Wang, G., Oh, I. S., Courtright, S. H., Colbert, A. E. (2011) Transformational leadership and performance across criteria and levels: a meta-analytic review of 25 years of research. \u00a0Group and Organization Management 36<\/i>(2), 223 \u2013 270.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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