Transformation Leadership: Raising the Ethical Bar - Coursework Example

Transformational Leadership- Raising the Ethical Bar Introduction Before going into the niceties of my personal values system as a leader, let’s first define what transformational leadership is. Leadership is the supremacy to motivate people by words, actions and deeds using vision, faith and honesty (Northouse, 2009). The goal of transformational leadership is to make the new comers follow the way the leaders work and behave in the organization. The leaders should show such an attitude at the workplace that would inspire others to follow their directions. The ultimate goal of leadership is to create such teams that work effectively to produce greater results. If leaders want that employees participate in a dynamic, collaborative environment where they interrelate with each other in a better way to share their ideas and information, they would have to take steps to improve their communication with their workers, listen to their problems, talk to them and work out their issues. Workers will automatically start following them and the overall organizational culture will improve. This is called the transformational leadership (Brown & Travino, 2006) in which the leaders produce such an effect on their subordinates that they inflict a “transforming effect” on them thus producing “sweeping changes in organizations and societies” (Priyabhasini & Krishnan, 2005, p.1). In Ethical Context Now, let’s consider how ethical side of transformational leadership plays its part in an organization’s efficacy and sustainability. If the leadership is flourishing, competent and brawny, then the outcome is more prolific than anticipated. We know that the accomplishment of an organization depends mainly on value-based actions and decisions. If a leader works according to his values and sees a manufacturing error in his product, then he will certainly tell the client about the fault without hiding the truth. He will discuss the issue with the personnel and the client to let them know that he genuinely wishes to remove the error. This endorses confidence between the company and the client, and also motivates other employees to follow the same directions. Furthermore, ethical leadership will take care of the employees so as to preserve a vigorous environment within the organization. An ethical leader will verify that the salaries are being paid in time; will pursue a system of rewards and bonuses; and, will listen to the employees’ troubles and will try to remove them. This will keep them working at high competence. The ethical leader will make agreements with business partners while respecting their decisions. This confidence between the partners makes the organization grow and maintains its integrity. Ethics promotes fairness among the staff. An ethical leader will confirm that all workers are treated fairly, that there are no separate canteens for administrators and for spot boys, and there are no separate parking places for executives and for clerks. An ethical leader will know how to schedule his projects keeping in mind the time frame and instructs the team to manage their work schedules accordingly. An ethical leader knows that he has to abide by the rules and regulations he has agreed upon while signing a contract and will never back off. Hence, this ethical context of transformational leadership adds to the progress of the organization. My Personal Values System In this section, I will describe my own personal values system and will explain what leadership means to me. I believe that leadership involves practically motivating others to follow principles which consist of both bureaucratic (procedural) and substantive (character-based) aspects. These aspects are the basics of leadership. The procedural dimension of leadership includes problem-solving and decision-making practice within the circle of ethics. For instance, leadership demands that the leaders, before practicing their decisions, discuss them with parties which are going to be affected by their decisions, so as to make them feel respected. The substantive aspect of leadership includes knowledge, tough standards and guts to pursue directions regardless of opposition. Brown, Travino and Harrison (2005) assert that “leadership predicts outcomes such as perceived effectiveness of leaders, followers’ job satisfaction and dedication, and their willingness to report problems to management”. Value-based actions and decisions are a part and parcel of a transformational and ethical leadership. Some basics in this aspect are that the leader verifies that the salaries are being paid in time; pursues a system of rewards and bonuses; and, listens to the employees’ troubles and tries to remove them. This keeps them working at high competence. The leader makes agreements with business partners while respecting their decisions. This confidence between the partners makes the organization grow and maintains its integrity. A leader knows how to schedule his projects keeping in mind the time frame and instructs the team to manage their work schedules accordingly. He knows that he has to abide by the rules and regulations he has agreed upon while signing a contract and will never back off. Brilliance in these basics adds to the progress of the organization. Dr. Bill Grace’s 4-V Model of Ethical Leadership My personal values system is based upon Dr. Bill Grace’s 4-V Model of Ethical Leadership. Dr. Bill Grace is the founder of the Center of Ethical Leadership (2007). His model links the substantive (inner values, principles and standards) with the procedural (words, actions and deeds) dimensions of ethical. This model demonstrates what is needed to make a person a transformational and an ethical leader. Substantive Virtues Values. By having a deep understanding of our basic values, the leader develops a sense of moral duty of working for the betterment of the organization. This is what is most required to make a person an ethical, transformational leader. Voice. This includes the practice of getting people acquainted with our inner beliefs, ideas and standards so that they get motivated to do something good. The transformational leader must be able to raise his voice to face opposition. Vision. Vision means one’s approach towards an issue, and concerns how an action is to be taken, and what will be the consequences. I believe that an ethical leader must have a powerfully built vision so that he is able to solve problems with ethical values. Virtue. It is the honesty of the inner self of the transformational leader that leads him to do fine decisions. Upright practice is required for the improvement of an organization. An ethical leader makes use of virtue that is a part of his personality. Apart from the 4-V Model of Ethical Leadership, there are some other substantive aspects which are an important part of my personal values system. They include: Courage. A leader must be courageous enough so that he may be able to give voice to his vision in front of opposition. He must be brave enough to make people appreciate his ethical directions and values. Personal Ego. Freeman and Stewart (2006) affirm that an ethical leader must be able to “focus on organizational success rather than on personal ego”. A leader must know that what is important is the success of people working in the organization and not the success of one individual. Respecting others. An ethical leader respects others’ decisions and opinions while not giving away his personal ethical standards. Procedural Virtues Procedural virtues are as important a part of my personal values system as substantive virtues. These include the following: Framing actions according to ethics. A leader must be able to frame his actions in such a way that they go just in accordance to his inner beliefs and standards. He must know that leadership is “a fully ethical task” (Freeman & Stewart, 2006). Task scheduling. An ethical leader must ask himself if his time schedule and work plans go in accordance with his ethics or not. He must know the importance of time. Problem-solving. Ethical leadership requires sorting out problems, analyzing them and searching for solutions that lie within ethical boundaries. Decision-making. An ethical leader is required to make decisions that not only depict his own morals but also give space to the other party’s opinions, decisions and virtues. Conclusion To conclude, transformational leadership is the key to the progress of an organization. If a leader knows how to make use of his virtues to make others follow him, then he can prove to be a leader whom people would love to listen and follow thus enhancing the integrity of the organization. It is up to the leader to either develop or weaken the organization’s general culture. A transformational leader inspires and motivates employees so that they work in a shared collaborative environment where they learn to work in teams while respecting each other’s values. Hence, a good leader, and more specifically, an ethical leader knows how to drive an organization while convincing other strategically to follow his directions within the circle of ethics. My personal values system helps me to determine what values are required of me if I want to become a successful transformational leader. I believe in ethical standards of leadership because following ethics is the only way I can make others follow me in my footsteps. Hence, for me, ethical principles are an important aspect of transformational leadership. References Brown, M.E., & Travino, L.K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), pp. 595-616. Brown, M.E., Travino, L.K., & Harrison, D.A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), pp. 117-134. Freeman, R., & Stewart, L. (2006). What is ethical leadership? Developing Ethical Leadership. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from http://www.darden.virginia.edu/corporate-ethics/pdf/ethical_leadership.pdf Grace, B. (2007). Ethical leadership. Center for Ethical Leadership. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from http://ethicalleadership.org/about-us/philosophies-definitions/ethical-leadership Northouse, P.G. (2009). Leadership: Theory and Practice. USA: Sage. Priyabhasini, A., & Krishnan, V.R. (2005). Transformational leadership and follower’s career advancement: role of pygmalion effect. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 40(4), pp. 482-499. Read More