Unit 7 Learning Activity 1, “Ethical Leadership.”

The moral implications of leadership behaviour

Regarding leadership, ethics is concerned with what leaders do and who leaders are. It has to be with the nature of leaders’ behaviour, and with their virtuousness (Northouse, 2019). Jane Van Buren suggests that being a leader doesn’t mean that you’re ethical (2013). There are many popular organization leaders, and influential leaders, from which we can draw inspiration from: Gandhi, Mary Kay, Martin Luther King, to name a few. What made them so popular was because they recognized that their leadership behaviour had moral implications for the entire organization for which they work. Leaders set the moral tone for the entire organization (Van Buren, 2013). Mihelič (2010) also suggests that moral and ethical leaders are also directly involved with developing the process of directing the individual’s behaviour towards a desired outcome, or goal.

Avolio & Gardner (2005) also state that authentic leadership and its development encompasses an inherent ethical/moral component. Therefore one can say that to be an authentic leader one must understand the moral implications that their leadership behaviour will have on individuals and the organization as a whole.

Enabling an organization to grow and flourish

The question is: How can an organization grow and thrive through becoming an ethical organization? Van Buren (2013) gives several areas that an organization should have its focus. First, as a leader, being a visible role model for staff members who take cues about appropriate behaviour from those who lead them. Secondly, as the leader, one must communicate the ethical expectations to the staff. This communication happens through the creation of an organization code of ethics where it would state the values and ethical rules for the organization. Van Buren continues here by saying that she believes many organizations do not possess a code of ethics. Thirdly, the leaders must promote effective financial management by using the resources in a socially responsible way and by being cost-effective without affecting the organization in the long-term. Fourth, provide ethical training seminars and workshops that clarify acceptable practice that includes the organization’s code of ethics and employee manual. Fifth, institutionalize an ethical culture through measuring performance against the organization’s code of ethics that focuses on “means” and “ends.” Finally, the organization must provide protective mechanisms which can happen through a whistleblower policy, ethical counselors, and a proper grievance procedure.

Question: Through reading the material and watching the video, does your organization have these any of these “focuses” in place? What is something that you, or your organization, could do better to promote an ethical and moral culture?

Resources:

Avolio, B. & Gardner, W. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 16, 315-338.

Mihelič, K. K., Lipičnik, B., & Tekavčič, M. (2010). Ethical Leadership. International Journal of Management & Information Systems, 14(5), 31-42. Retrieved November 5, 2018, from http://www.ef.uni-lj.si/docs/osebnestrani/MIhelic_Lipicnik_Tekavcic_2010_clute.pdf