I thought it was effective how Monica used the analogy of a water droplet falling into a body of water, creating ripples that gradually increase. She draws connections that this is the same impact that leaders have in the lives of their employees, the organization, and the world at large. A leader sets the tone of an organization, behaviour and decisions following ethical suit (BuildingCapacity, 2013).
This reminds me of Peter Singer’s thought experiment where he asked readers if they would save a drowning child while sacrificing a new business outfit on the way to work (Singer, 1997). Once everyone agreed, he asked if it would be any different if there were distance between readers and the child, such as a country or nation. His main premise was is that for a small sacrifice for Westerners to pay, it saves a child’s life (Singer, 1997). He argues that the costs are incredibly small for the benefits that it may reap. Ultimately, Singer wants to challenge people’s underlying ethics with regards to helping strangers. He relates it to LH Lecky’s analogy of human concern as an expanding circle, in which it begins with one person and gradually expands to affect and transform others’ perspectives (Singer, 1997). The idea is that the circle continuously grows from: the family, to the community, to the nation, to a coalition of nations, and then to all of humanity (Singer, 1997). In essence, substantial change can begin by one person’s ethics and thereby raising the level of consciousness of a large group of people through the ripple effect. It becomes an expanding circle or ripple, creating enormous change in the world.
Ethics within an organization is the same way because it begins with the leader setting the tone with regards to what behaviour is acceptable vs. what is unacceptable. There is no limit to the amount of people that a leader’s ethics can inspire, benefit, or harm: the effect is exponential.
Thank you for the post Monica!
Christina
References
BuildingCapacity [Poster]. (2013, March 29). What is ethical leadership? Retrieved November 2018, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA
Singer, P. (1997, April). The Drowning Child and the Expanding Circle. Retrieved on November 11, 2018, from https://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/199704–.htm