Ethical Issues in Leadership - Essay Example

Ethical Leadership Introduction Ethics that is at times known as moral philosophy can be as a systematic way of using moral principles. It can be a set code of conduct with reference to a particular group or human actions related to expected rules recognized by a particular profession. It’s a set down rules in relation to human conduct and values with reference to the right, good, evil or wrong and its final consequences. Leadership can be as the ability to make rational decisions that influence people in the achievement of set objectives within a company or public office. In their book ‘Ethical leadership’, Kanungo and Mendoncafeel that the urge to investigate on the topic of ethical leadership is induced by the rise of unethical behaviour in the organization. This has further been coupled with a decline in upholding moral responsibility and workplace ethics. Furthermore, ethics has been having been given very little attention by both management and psychological education. Business literature as well as management has always emphasized on profits as the primary reason for an enterprise with little regard for ethics. It has led to the moral decay in most business organizations (Kanungo and Mondonca, 2007, Page 2). The need for leadership An organization is simply a structural-functional unit with an ordinary objective. In order to achieve its goals, organization assign its employees to different roles and status as per one ability and specialization thus leaders and subordinates. Effective leadership involves steering other members in an organization towards the realization of an organization’s set objectives using its policies and procedures (Kanungo and Mondenca, 2007, p. 2). Need for ethics In the current modern society, there is an increasing awareness of the management to be accountable and transparent not only to its shareholders, but also other relevant stakeholders as well. Managers are with ethical dilemmas pressurizing their decision making. This includes suppliers, employees, consumers, the Government and the society at large. Whilst the core function of the business is profit making, management and leaders should be responsive to the moral duties of the society as a whole. Understanding the significance of these moral duties has led to the formation of an ethical system alongside rules, regulations and policies to be (Starrat, 2004, p.62). Ethical theories Due to the urgency for morality in organizational leadership and social order, it’s mandatory that we define relevant moral principles to depend on in judgment making. Ethical conduct is a relative factor in our study since what one considered as ethical might be unethical to another person. The root of ethics includes an individual’s character and the societal regulations that control our conduct, morality. For this cause, I will review the ethical theories. Ethical leadership theories fall into two groups: 1. Action-based 2. Duty-based Action based theories are theories that help define a leader’s action based on his/her conduct and its repercussions. These include ethical egoism, utilitarianism, and altruism. Ethical Egoism implies that a leader is supposed to carry himself in a way that he/she can obtain maximum benefits. A leader who strives to have the best resources for a company is an example of ethical egoism. On the other hand, Utilitarianism implies that a leader should act in a manner that is beneficial to a larger number. An example is forfeiting personal goals for national growth (Gernsler, 1998, pp. 47). Finally, altruism is concerned with being selfless, doing what’s best for the interest of even if it’s opposite to own interests. Duty based theories can also be called (Deontological theories) and include: 1. Truthfulness, keeping promises, fairness, and independence from consequences 2. One’s actions should not contravene the rights of others nor further them. 3. The nature of the leader’s character. In the duty based theory, we still have virtue-based approaches that include justice for all, fairness in dealings and honest with your subjects. It also includes courage in times of difficulty, generosity when it comes to public resources, modesty in his actions among others. This is a character based and about being a virtuous human being (Gernsler, 1998, pp. 47-51). The measure of ethics in a leader’s actions Several organizations realize the importance of effective leadership but only few have criteria’s for evaluating leadership over time. Justification for leadership refers to the relation between moral and logical decisions and thoughts which about leadership is as command ethics.An efficient organization’s institutional leader is one who is actively in moving the organization from its present status quo to a future desired image through its set down policies and processes. His/her actions should direct, build trust and steer motivation for the other employees to engage in activities that would ensure the acquisition of its vision. Analyzing the leader’s characters in terms of altruism and egoistic perspectives, only a morally altruistic leader can demonstrate these attributes. On the contrary, people with higher on personal power are only interested in their selfish interests and concerns. In the organization such like interests are achieved at the cost of the organization’s growth and development. Leaders with an egoistic approach tend to influence employees through control strategies and use of legal coercion rewards and sanctions. Other theories include transformational leadership that emphasized on morality and value driven kind of leadership. This type of leaders often urged their followers to live to stand and can be compared to the virtue ethics approach (Gernsler, 1998, pp. 47-51). Most scholars have termed personal characteristics as a reason for effective leadership. In earlier centuries ‘great man’ leadership theories argued that great leadership was hereditary and not melded. This idea holds to this day holds to the present day as people who become leaders possess certain attributes that help them become successful in leadership positions. The latest concept of leadership as a result of globalization and awareness is responsible leadership that is based on democracy while addressing ethics. This perspective comes up with societal and individual values that get its justification from the actions of those involved as opposed to cultural practices like religion and ethics (Burnes, 2013, pp.18-23). Significance of ethics The primary importance brought about by ethics in business is improved human relations and credibility. The human relations between vertical and horizontal authority in organizations can never be of conflicts because of the set down ethics increasing productivity. Furthermore, it attracts more investors due to increased production potential (Mickey, 2013, paras.2-5). Conclusion In summary, I can say that ethical leadership should be a relative as well as a participative function with top management applying different theoretical practices at various levels of the organization. An important factor in determining morality in leadership amidst several organizations is the organizational culture, and it’s human resource understanding of workplace ethics. A leader in the institutional power approach is supposed to be egoistic so as to steer the organization forward. In the individual power sense, a leader is expected to exhibit the great man theory of leadership coupled with the deontological theory since he/she will be serving people. On the other hand, democracy is seen as ethical since it makes one responsible to the people for his actions. In the exercise of justice, utilitarianism ethics is applied since we will be looking at activities that benefit a large number of persons even though at times not morally upright. Since earlier scholars believed in the great person theory, this theory stated that the leader was made and not born. Such like a leader practiced transformational theory with his subjects leading to an ethical society. Since ethics played a bigger role in the everyday running of the organization and affected critical decision-making processes, it is important to involve principles in majority of our decisions. Businesses are accountable to all its stakeholders including the local community thus being ethical in its dealings promotes credibility. Work Cited By, Rune Todnem.Organizational Change, Leadership and Ethics: Leading Organizations toward Sustainability. London: Routledge, 2013. Print. Gensler, Harry J. Ethics a Contemporary Introduction. Nueva York (EstadosUnidos: Routledge, 1998. Print Mendonca, Manuel, and Rabindra N. Kanungo. Ethical Leadership. Maidenhead [u.a.: Open Univ. Press, 2007. Print. Mickey. "The Importance of Ethical Leadership."The Workplace Coach RSS. The Work Place Coach, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. . Starratt, Robert J. Ethical Leadership. San Francisco (Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 2004. Print. Read More