The Perception of Leadership - Case Study Example

Ethical Leadership s Submitted by s: Introduction Ethical leadership can be described as the kind of headship that is founded by the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2010, p. 135). The issue that arises out of this kind of leadership is that it is extremely difficult to come with the correct definition of right. Ethical leadership can be split into two segments where in one, the leader is supposed to act and make decisions in an ethical manner and in the other, the leader is supposed to lead ethically in their attitudes and interactions. Conventionally, the perception of leadership has always been viewed as the key objective of leaders to maximize on production as well as profits and the traditional view of leadership is progressively diminishing as leaders gain more responsibilities. The leaders are supposed to ensure that the standards of moral and ethical behavior are upheld and good leadership focuses on competence as well as ethics and the transformation of the people as well. All the leadership is mandated with influencing followers to take part in certain action, completing tasks and behaving in particular ways where the leaders who are effective influence the processes that are concerned, catalyze change in the employees’ attitudes and values, and foster the internalization of the views that the leader holds. This is done by utilizing approaches of empowerment and there is the belief that nurturing the elements of leaders can raise organizational culture and employees values to reach high degrees of ethical concern. Characteristics of ethical leadership Ethical behavior in its basic terms can be said to be the knowledge and the action of doing what is right. The difficulty arises in arriving at the definition of what is right where different individuals from different cultures and different religions have definitions of right that are particular to them. The accepted treatment of women and the perceptions towards slavery that are in the different cultures and at the different times in history are sources of very good examples of the manner in which what is right can vary. The leaders who are ethical distinguish themselves by taking part in the actions, which are not convenient, out of favour and to some extent unprofitable in the short term in the pursuit of long-term health and value. They have the view that the world is interconnected and this makes them come up with solutions, which are dynamic to address the intricate problems that are identified every day. For instance, instead of having automatic extensions of payment terms to suppliers while experiencing economic busts, the ethical leaders think about the financial as well as the negative affects to the suppliers if the terms of payments are elongated. Ethical leadership is considers other alternative solutions that might need an investment but be the source of more value in the long term. Ethical leadership helps the leaders to extend more trust to their subordinates, which in turn creates a condition that is conducive to empower the employees, the suppliers and also the clients to embrace the risks that are necessary in the creation of innovations. Reasons for practicing ethical leadership There is a universal agreement that leaders are supposed to be ethical but there are several good reasons as to why ethical leadership is important. Ethical leaderships help to provide an example of ethical behavior for the rest of the organization and the rest of the community where the leaders are considered to be role models. In the process of seeking ethical compliance for the organization and initiatives, then it is important for the leader to shape the behavior of the employees. A leader who has a reputed with moral compliance is in a position act as an example for both the firm and community. All ethical leadership except the kind of leadership that is acquired and maintained through using force and intimidation is mainly founded on trust and people will be more inclined to follow ethical leadership mainly because they have a trust in it and the leader is in a position to make the right decisions. To gain credibility and respect in the organization, the person in the leadership position should be able to establish himself as an ethical leader. Other leaders in the organization and outside the organization will consequently develop respect for the organization and integrity that will be displayed. Ethical leadership helps to foster collaboration and other organizations will be interested in collaborating with the organization whose leadership is ethical. Ethical leadership also helps to develop a good climate in the organization, which can be seen in the situation where all the people have the knowledge that power will be shared and not abused. The subordinates will be comfortable since they will know that they will be dealt with in a respectful manner, they will have the freedom to do their jobs, and that the whole organization will function as an ethical entity in the community. This has the likelihood of developing a sense of security that will enable them to work in unity and bring about a dedication to the organization. Ethical leadership allows the leader to develop a situation of moral high ground, which is important in the cases that are characterized by arguments and discourse that have an ethical nature. The leaders in the organization need to be able to provide ethical leadership and be able to make their opinions that have a strong ethical backing known to their subordinates. Further, ethical leadership develops an obligation on the part of the employees to the organization as well as the community that is aimed at the development of an ethical system that is meant to make the world a better place. Leadership that is ethical is also a source of self-respect since all the decisions that are arrived at are guided by ethics and all the actions and interactions that follow these decisions are founded on ethical principles. Effects of ethical leadership on project management Ethical leadership is equally as important as effective leadership when the process of persuading the stakeholders to support the ideas of the project manager which is aimed at contributing to the success of the projects that are being undertaken. The crucial role that leaders are supposed to play in the establishment of culture that is ethical has always been less understood. One of the main directions that ethical leadership takes is indirect and can be seen across the hierarchy and also in the peers of the leader with a cascading effect where the ethics that a leader who is senior influences the behavior of a subordinate leader. This has a trickledown consequence that will influence on the members of the firm. It is important to note that the ethical characteristics in the project management team are unlikely to be more than the ethical principles held by the leaders of these teams, where in most cases they are slightly less ethical. The ethical cultures exhibited by leaders who are subordinate are in normal situations likely to be relatively weaker than those that are associated with the senior leaders. In other words, the ethical principles that are in a particular organization are established at the highest point of authority and the standards are supposed to be similar or deteriorate down the hierarchy on to the teams that are part of the project. Project managers are supposed to maintain the ethics that are prescribed the Project Management Institute as well as the codes of morals and values that are developed by their organization (Cleland and Ireland, 2010, p. 29). The environment where the firm does its consultations as well as project management of an international scale may increase the pressure and come up with additional codes that the project manager is supposed to understand fully. The prevailing business climate that is characterized by competition that is stiff, regulations that are stringent and customer’s loyalty that is to die for has made more companies to choose projects as their driving forces to maintain their edge. They also consider project management as the best method that can help in executing strategic approaches in the organization. This can be considered as good news for project management but the downside is exhibited in the situation where companies are using project management in leveraging the deployment schedules that they have which may be aggressive thereby without knowing developing a breeding ground for behavior that is unethical. The mandate that the project manager is assigned with is to ensure that the project is concluded within the budget, on time and it meets all the quality specifications and expectations. This means that the project managers are supposed to carry out these tasks with an unquestionable degree of moral character. Therefore, they are required to come up with steadfast reactions to ethical issues, which will allow the project management community to continue earning the trust of the public. Dilemmas and choices in ethical leadership in project management Ethical dilemmas come up since it is difficult to make predictions of the behavior that is preferred when responding to the situations that might have ethical characteristics (Schwalbe, 2009, p. 23). Even the people who are highly ethical and boast of the benefits of following ethical codes, situations that are challenging and require the making of decisions must come up. To arrive at decisions of the choices where the substitutes have considerable value and are also permissible while there are significant consequences associated with these choices can result in an ethical dilemma in the leadership. The project managers have the mandate to make choices and decisions where some of the situations are not direct and require a lot of consideration since the choices might all have benefits or limitations at the same time. The best way to come up with the best choice and situation is to plan and prepare so that the point at which the manger has to make a critical choice does not get him by surprise. This can be done through a reflection of the manager’s personal code of moral values that have evolved over the course of the career as well as the formal and informal values of the organization. Conclusion Leadership can be seen as a responsibility that demands a lot from the people that are mandated to practice it regardless of whether the mandate is formal or informal (Crane and Matten, 2010, p. 222). The responsibility demands that the leader have ethical qualities both in person and also in the manner that he or she conducts his leadership. Since the leaders have to be role models, they dictate the tone that will guide the ethical positions of their subordinates and the organization as a whole as well as the community. Ethical leadership means that the leader will provide an articulate ethical structure that will be the basis of decisions and actions that will be taken all the time and not only in particular situations. Openness and honesty are among the most vital elements that are associated with ethical leadership and this is demonstrated by the willingness to make ethical decisions and discussions of issues a customary part of the team and culture. It can also be seen in the urge that the leader has to mentor others to lead, the conviction to maintain and enhance competence as well as the capability to accept and address feedback regardless of whether it is positive or negative. An ethical leader is always supposed to review and re-examine the ethical assumptions that he has and the repercussions of being an ethical leader since leadership is dynamic. Bibliography Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2010. Business ethics. 1st ed. Oxford University Press. Oxford Cleland, D. and Ireland, L., 2010. Project managers portable handbook. 1st ed. McGraw- Hill. New York. Ferrell, O., Fraedrich, J. and Ferrell, L., 2010. Business ethics. 1st ed. South-Western Cengage Learning. Mason, OH. Schwalbe, K., 2009. Introduction to project management. 1st ed. Course Technology. Boston, Mass. Read More