Ethics and Leadership

Outline
• What is ethics?
• Three approaches to resolving ethical
conflicts
• Making ethical decisions
 Ethics: What Does It Really
Mean?
Definitions
• Ethics involves a discipline that examines
good or bad practices within the context of
a moral duty
• Moral conduct is behavior that is right or
wrong
 Two Key Branches of Ethics
• Descriptive ethics involves describing,
characterizing and studying morality
– “What is”
• Normative ethics involves supplying and
justifying moral systems
– “What should be”
 3 Models of Leadership Ethics
1. Immoral Leadership—A style devoid of ethical
principles and active opposition to what is ethical.

2. Moral Leadership—Conforms to high standards

of ethical behavior.

3. Amoral Leadership
– Intentional - does not consider ethical factors
– Unintentional - casual or careless about ethical
considerations in business
 Resolving Ethical Conflicts

Three Approaches
• Conventional
• Principles
• Ethical tests
 Conventional Approach to Ethics
• Conventional approach to ethics involves a
comparison of a decision or practice to
prevailing societal norms
– Pitfall: ethical relativism

Decision or Practice Prevailing

Norms
 Leadership and Ethics
Culture Relativism

Many people in contemporary society are

inclined toward relativism - roughly, the
view that there is no objective truth in
morality, right and wrong are only
matters of opinion that vary from culture
to culture, and possibly, from person to
person.
 Leadership and Ethics
Culture Relativism

Descriptive relativism claims that members of

different cultures have different moral beliefs.

Normative relativism claims that the truth of

moral beliefs depends upon particular
cultures, such that the belief that cannibalism
is right can be true for culture A but false for
culture B.
 Leadership and Ethics
Culture Relativism
Normative relativism has some rather undesirable
implications:
– it prohibits us from ever morally condemning another
culture’s values and practices;

– it suggests that we need look no further that our own

culture for moral guidance;

– it renders the notions of moral progress and moral reform

incoherent.
 Sources of Ethical Norms
Regions of
Fellow Workers Fellow Workers
Country

Family Profession
The Individual
Conscience
Friends Employer

The Law Religious

Society at Large
Beliefs
Making Ethical Judgments
Behavior or act compared with
Prevailing norms
that has been
of acceptability
committed

Value judgments
and perceptions of
the observer
 Principles Approach to Ethics
Principles Approach
Anchors decision making
on an ethical principle such as:
• Utilitarianism • Caring
• Rights • Virtue ethics
• Justice • Servant leadership
• Golden Rule
 Principles Approach to Ethics

Principle of Utilitarianism focuses on an

act that produces the greatest ratio of good
to evil for everyone
– Consequentialist theory
 Principles Approach to Ethics
Principle of Rights focuses on examining
and possibly protecting individual moral or
legal rights
Principles Approach to Ethics
 Principles Approach to Ethics
• Principle of justice involves considering
what alternative promotes fair treatment of
people
• Types of justice
– Distributive
– Compensatory
– Procedural
 Principles Approach to Ethics
• Principle of caring focuses on a person as
a relational (cooperative) and not as an
individual
– Feminist theory
• Virtue ethics focuses on individuals
becoming imbued with virtues
– Aristotle and Plato
 Servant Leadership and Ethics

Characteristics of Servant Leaders

• Listening • Foresight
• Empathy • Conceptualization
• Healing • Commitment to the
growth of people
• Persuasion
• Stewardship
• Awareness
• Building community
 Golden Rule

Golden rule focuses on the premise that

you should of unto others as you would
have them do unto you
 Ethics Test Approach

Ethics Test Approach

• Test of common sense
• Test of one’s best self
• Test of making something public
• Test of ventilation
• Gag test
 Ethical Decision-Making
Identify decision you
are about to make

Articulate all dimensions

of proposed decision

Conventional Approach Principles Approach Ethical Tests Approach

Standards/Norms Ethical Principles Ethical Tests
-Personal -Justice -Common sense
-Organizational -Rights -One’s best self
-Societal -Utilitarianism -Public disclosure
-International -Golden Rule -Gag test . . .

Course of action fails

Course of action passes ethics screen
ethics screen

Do not engage in course

Engage in course of of action
action
Identify new course of
action
 Ethical Decision Models
• Utilitarian Model
– An ethical decision is one that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of
people.
• Moral Rights Model
– An ethical decision is one that best maintains and protects the fundamental rights and
privileges of the people affected by it.
• Justice Model
– An ethical decision is one that distributes benefits and harms among individuals in a
fair, equitable, or impartial way.
 Ethical Models

Justice
Utilitarian
IDEAL
Outcome

Moral Rights
Steps to Ethical Decision Making
What are the consequences
of your decision

How can the option be implemented

Decide which option is most ethical

Consider options

Think through dilemma;

identify all components as objectively as possible.