Ethical Leadership

Ethical Leadership
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this module students should be able to:
• Define and give examples of ethical leadership
• Understand leaders’ ethical responsibilities
• Explain effective ethical leadership
• Assess ethical leadership
• Identify ways to promote ethical leadership
Introduction to leadership
 What is ethical leadership?
 Why is ethical leadership important?
 How to promote ethical leadership.

Exercise I
LEADER’S VIEW
Definition of leadership and ethical leadership
 Components of leadership:  Ethical leadership:
o Leadership is a process o “setting and pursuing ethical goals and influencing

o Leadership involves influence others in an ethical manner”
o Leadership occurs in groups o “influencing the activities of a group toward goal
o Leadership involves common goals achievement in a socially responsible way”
Why do leaders have ethical responsibility?
The importance of ethical leadership
 The ‘interpersonal trust’ model developed by Schindler and

Thomas
 The ‘social power’ model developed by French and Raven

Class exercises
 E2: Decision cards
 E3: Pop culture examples of ethical leadership
 E4: “Telling the truth” (case study)
 E5: “Stay neutral or not” (case study)

Applying ethical theories, principle and models to leadership
Core Ethical Theories and how they apply to ethical leadership

Utilitarianism Deontology Virtue
Morality Consequences Conformity to moral Perfecting one’s

“cost / benefit” principles character
depends
on…
Key Mill, Bentham Kant Aristotle

philosophers
Jargon Greatest Happiness Categorical Imperative Telos

Principle
Applying ethical theories, principle and models to leadership
Turning knowledge into practice (exercise)
Daft’s ten activities of a moral leader: Northouse’s five principles of ethical leadership:
• Develop, articulate, and uphold high moral principles.
• Focus on what is right for the organization as well as all the  Ethical Leaders Respect Others
people involved.
 Ethical Leaders Serve Others
• Set the example you want others to live by.
• Be honest with yourself and others.
 Ethical Leaders Are Just
• Drive out fear and eliminate issues that cannot be discussed.
• Establish and communicate ethics policies.  Ethical Leaders Are Honest
• Develop a backbone - show zero tolerance for ethical
violations.  Ethical Leaders Build Community
• Reward ethical conduct.
• Treat everyone with fairness, dignity, and respect, from the
lowest to the highest level of the organization.
• Do the right thing in both your private and professional life -
even if no one is looking
Why practice ethical leadership?
• Ethical leadership models ethical behavior to the organization and the

community.
• Ethical leadership builds trust.
• Ethical leadership brings credibility and respect, both for you and for
the organization.
• Ethical leadership can lead to collaboration.
• Ethical leadership creates a good climate within the organization.
• If you have opposition, or are strongly supporting a position, ethical
leadership allows you to occupy the moral high ground.
• Ethical leadership is simply the right way to go.
• Ethical leadership affords self-respect.
When and by whom should ethical leadership
be practiced?
Ethical leadership should be practiced all the time by
anyone in a formal or informal leadership position.
How do you practice ethical
leadership?
General guidelines:
• Ethical leadership requires a clear and coherent ethical
framework on which the leader can draw in making
decisions and taking action.
• Your ethical framework should agree with the ethical
framework, vision, and mission of the organization or
initiative.
• Ethics should be a topic of discussion.
• Ethics should be out in the open.
• Ethical thought must be connected to action.
• Ethical leadership is a shared process.
Specific components of ethical
leadership:
• Put the good of the organization and the general good before your own
interests and ego.
• Encourage the discussion of ethics in general and of the ethical choices
involved in specific situations and decisions as an ongoing feature of
the organizational culture.
• Institutionalize ways for people to question your authority.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously.
• Consider the consequences to others of your decisions, and look for
ways to minimize harm.
• Treat everyone with fairness, honesty, and respect all the time.
• Treat other organizations in the same way you treat other people –
with fairness, honesty, and respect.
Specific components of ethical
leadership (cont.):
• Collaborate inside and outside the organization.
• Communicate.
• Work to become increasingly culturally and interpersonally
competent.
• Take cultural sensitivity and cultural competence seriously.
• Work to be inclusive.
• Take your leadership responsibility seriously, and be accountable for
fulfilling it.
• Constantly strive to increase your competence.
• Don’t outstay your usefulness.
• Never stop reexamining your ethics and your leadership.
Core reading
 What is ethical leadership? Available from

https://www.villanovau.com/resources/leadership/what-is-ethical-leadership/#.WsZCAWaB01g
 What is a leader? Available from

http://www.leadership-central.com/what-is-a-leader.html#axzz5Bo39Ro00
 What is ethics? Available from http://www.ethics.org.au/about/what-is-ethics

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Ethical Leadership

 What is ethical leadership?

 Why is ethical leadership important?

 How to promote ethical leadership.

 Components of leadership:  Ethical leadership:

o Leadership is a process o “setting and pursuing ethical goals and influencing

 The ‘interpersonal trust’ model developed by Schindler and

 The ‘social power’ model developed by French and Raven

 E2: Decision cards

 E3: Pop culture examples of ethical leadership

 E4: “Telling the truth” (case study)

 E5: “Stay neutral or not” (case study)

Core Ethical Theories and how they apply to ethical leadership

Morality Consequences Conformity to moral Perfecting one’s

Key Mill, Bentham Kant Aristotle

Jargon Greatest Happiness Categorical Imperative Telos

• Ethical leadership models ethical behavior to the organization and the

 What is ethical leadership? Available from

 What is a leader? Available from

 What is ethics? Available from http://www.ethics.org.au/about/what-is-ethics

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