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Relationships between ethics and leadership
Why is ethical decision making important
Ethical issues in organizations
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Introduction
Ethical decision making process has been a paramount criteria that must be given due consideration if there should arise an occurrence of the organisations. To ensure ethical decision making in an organisation, one must first accept how individuals settle on ethical decisions in an organisational environment. It is often expected that individuals in organisations settle on ethical decisions in the same way that they settle on ethical decisions at home and in their personal lives. The success of an organization to a larger extent depends upon the ability of its management to take good and effective decisions (Kinicki 2008, 249-50).
Ethics, the heart of leadership, as reflected in the title of the 1998 leadership book by Joanne B. Ciulla. Indeed, ethics and leadership should go as an inseparable unit. In her book, Ethics, the Heart of Leadership, Joanne Ciulla (2004) defines good as “morally good and technically good or effective” (Ciulla, 2004, p. 13). Ciulla believes ethics is the heart of leadership and a good leader is ethical and effective. Since the meaning of leadership is expressed in such a variety of comparable ways Ciulla brings up these definitions ought to now be balanced for good leadership in light of the fact that absence of ethics appear to be today's issue.
In his book Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership, Craig E. Johnson utilizes the similarity of heroes and villains when examining how leaders endeavour to influence change.
“The power that comes from being a leader can also be used for evil as well as good. When one assumes the benefits of leadership, one also assumes ethical burdens, “he affirms. In making ethical decisions, the leader tries to cast “light” not “shadow.” Despite the fac...
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...constant reminders of the importance of good ethics, participative decision-making should be applied. This will permit employees and managers to emulate the teachings they are given. Participative decision-making might be utilized with the decision making template. The more individuals creating alternative solutions and anticipating outcomes, the more likely the group will discover the best solution for any issue.
Ultimately, the ideal solution for promoting ethical comportment is not a punitive one, but a positive approach by the leaders of organisations. An ethical demeanour must be practiced by the leaders and modelled by those they lead. Ethical decision making ought to be acknowledged and rewarded. Ethics and leadership are united, and as Cuilla (1998), noted, ethics is the heart of leadership. One must return to that philosophy and make ethics a way of life.
Ethical decision-making is the responsibility of everyone, regardless of position or level within an organization. Interestingly, the importance of stressing employee awareness, improving decisions, and coming to an ethical resolution are the greatest benefits to most companies in today’s world (Weber, 2015).
The method of ethical decision making which was developed by Dr. Cathryn A. Baird presented two components contained in all ethical decisions which are; The Four ethical Lenses and the 4+1 Decision process. The Four Ethical Lenses issue claims that different ethical theories and the means in which we tend to approach the situations which form part of our ethical traditions are looked at in four different perspectives. From each perspective there are different values on which to decide whether the action taken is either ethical or not and each lens also lays emphasis on determining whether the decision made is of ethical requirement. In the 4+1 Decision Process, people who are responsible for making final decisions in an organization do it using four specific decision making steps and eventually will end up with one extra decision which gives a chance to reflect. The 4+1 decision process allows the decision makers to give solutions when faced with complicated ethical issues (John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies, 2000).
To apply this system of moral values effectively, one must understand the structural levels at which ethical dilemmas occur, who is involved in the dilemmas, and how a particular decision will affect them. In addition, one must consider how to formulate possible courses of action. Failing in any of these three areas may lead to an ineffective decision, resulting in more pain than cure.” Ken Blanchard states, “Many leaders don’t operate ethically because they don’t understand leadership; these executives may have MBA’s from Ivey League schools or have attended leadership training; they may routinely read the best-selling management books, however, they don’t understand what it means to be a leader.” They don’t model a way of ethical behaviors.
The importance of ethical leadership is emphasised in theories of ethical leadership such as transformation theories which seek to raise the consciousness of followers by appealing to ideals and moral values rather than to materialistic desires or negative emotions such as fear and jealousy; Servant leadership theory which explains why the primary concern of the leaders should be to nurture, develop, and protect followers; Spiritual leadership theory which explains how leaders can enhance the spiritual meaning in the work experienced by followers; Authentic leadership theory which describes an ideal leader whose behavior is guided by strong positive values, (Yukl, 2010). In addition, all these theories emphasise the importance of leadership
Looking at the first word in ethical leadership we see, as stated in the Webster-Merriam dictionary, ethical is defined as “following accepted rules of behavior: morally right and good”. When we think of someone who is ethical we, first, think of someone who ‘follows the rules’. By following the rules I mean someone who in the eyes of the majority is morally sound. Having strong morals is what I believe the key is to an ethical person. On the other side of the definition of ethical is defining it as having inside oneself the desire to do what’s right over what is wrong. When we speak about someone who is ethical this desire is one that is not dependent on external forces i.e. no one can sway an ethical person’s mindset.
Joseph, James A. "Leadership And The Changing Role Of Ethics In Public Life." Lecture. Models of Ethical Leadership for a Changing World. University of Texas. Jan. 2001. Web.
Workplace ethics engages in judgements and collective agreements regarding a suitable guide of behaviour. The ethical decision making framework (EDM) presents, business decision is ethical or unethical.EDM provides an indication of traditional decision making process and issues that manipulate ethical decisions. Employees tend to fraud because they can experience the unfair treatments or situation that they face. Manages may ask employee to work long hours, and then they can take additional time off. Good performance leads to remunerations and appreciation managers than workers.
Currently, leadership is generally understood as a person with insight and wisdom of guidance, which expected to be efficient in management responsibilities like planning organizing, and monitoring performance (Kandola, 2004, p. 144). In addition, making ethical decision is important to individuals who value and take seriously institutional...
Making good ethical decisions requires a trained sensitivity to ethical issues and a practiced method for exploring the ethical aspects of a decision and weighing the considerations that should impact our choice of a course of action. Having a method for ethical decision making is absolutely essential. When practiced regularly, the method becomes so familiar that we work through it automatically without consulting the specific steps.
Many ethical dilemmas are philosophical in nature, an ethical issue can be described as a problem with no clear resolution. In order to solve the issue or dilemma a consensus between the parties involved must be reached. There are several reasons to come to an agreement over an ethical dilemma, it is the basis for all aspects of personal and professional dealings. Each one of us is part of a civilized society and as such it is our responsibility to be rational, honest and loyal in our dealings with others. (Alakavuklar, 2012) states that individuals make decisions for different situations in business life involving various ethical dilemmas. Each time either consciously or unconsciously individuals may follow some ethical approaches
Everyone in this world has experienced an ethical dilemma in different situations and this may arise between one or more individuals. Ethical dilemma is a situation where people have to make complex decisions and are influenced based on personal interest, social environment or norms, and religious beliefs (“Strategic Leadership”, n.d.). The leaders and managers in the company should set guidelines to ensure employees are aware and have a better chance to solve and make ethical decisions. Employees are also responsible in understanding their ethical obligations in order to maintain a positive work environment. The purpose of this case study is to identify the dilemma and analyze different decisions to find ways on how a person should act
The decision makers must weigh the different considerations including the impact that their actions have on the individuals concerned. It is important that one has a defined system for ethical decision making, and ideally make decisions with such frequency, it becomes so conventional that both the employee and management are able to work automatically through the required steps (Reiss,
“Ethical leaders within an organization cannot make every ethical decision by themselves” (Ferrell, 2015). In centralized management, the top people make all of the decisions. There are still however many opportunities for lower level employees to make unethical decisions. Management can promote ethical behavior at every level by being a good example and following its own code of conduct. The ethical environment should also be closely monitored. When someone makes a really great ethical decision, that person should be recognized. By rewarding good behavior, others will naturally want to receive these rewards as
... deliberations that should affect our selection of a way of action. Having a process for ethical decision creation is extremely effective. When adopted consistently, the method develops into a recognizable system that people can manage to work with automatically in devoid of consulting the precise steps. Although all decisions should be handled equally, balancing act takes precedence as to what options are better because pleasing both sides may at times be untenable.
Ethics is the heart of leadership, the power that comes with being a leader can be used for good as well as evil. Ethics is the internal intangible that drives us, it is the value system or lack of thereof, that guides us when we make decisions in our day to day actions (Bucaro). Ethics is about your individual values, you either have ethics or you don’t. To be ethical is to focus on values, character, principles, etc.; these are the personality traits that will give you the groundwork to make tough