Ethical Responsibilities
Ethical leadership is a term that has become very commonplace today. It is a concept that many have come to see as important as leaders do have a very big role to play when it comes to driving teams in the right direction. Choices and decisions made by leaders/managers impact the team heavily. Leaders must have high ethical standards to be able to manage and work effectively. Ethical leadership is the core of a great organization; a leader bears the greatest responsibility in the overall direction of an organization and that applies to ethics as well. An ethical leader must first and foremost be ethical; the five principles of an ethical leader should inform all levels of an organization to create an ethical culture for all parties. Maintaining ethical standards can make or break an organization and that depends greatly on the leadership that is practiced. Working at Sigmund Cohn, I have seen how ethics take priority over anything. Production will be stopped until certain questions are answered.
Some of the responsibilities of the managers include contacting the customers and explain them specific issues that postpone their orders. Often times, order require certificate of analysis which provides impurities of the material. Some items require specific amount of impurity based on the element and material. What do we do when specification does not meet the requirement? Customer is contacted momentarily, and additional tests are being conducted in house as well as with third party. Nothing leaves our doors until we know for certain we have followed all ethical guidelines and regulations.
Ethical Vulnerabilities
Ethical principles are informed by the values, morals and belief systems that a le...
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... and goals and how these build into the greater goal for all. An ethical leader attends to personal and overall interests and builds the two to create overall success of all. Everyone in the organization should feel like a purposeful contributor towards success.
In conclusion, in the creation of an ethical workplace, I would begin by adopting the principles of an ethical leader and practicing them so as to inculcate the ethical principles to all involved. Creating a work place where the values of respect, service, justice, honesty and community are emphasized would be my goal for all. A leader works and at the same time creates other leaders in the process, and I would endeavor to raise and maintain an ethical culture for employees who work for the good of their own personal wellbeing, each other’s welfare and in turn, the overall good of the organization .
Transformational leaders should help make a proactive change toward ensuring high ethics within the area they lead. It is up to organizational leaders to create ethical workplace cultures.
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...
Today we live in such a diverse environment, which means we are surrounded by a lot of different culture, ethnicity, and religion. To become a successful leader you must learn to deal with the differences, one could possess and practice a code of ethics which should include valuable guidelines of principles. Knowing wrong from right; basically sums up what ethic is really all about. Kenneth R. Andrews, in Ethics in Practice (March 1989), “Contends that there are three aspects to ethical behavior in organizations: the development of the individual as an ethical person, the effect of the organization as an ethical or unethical environment, and the actions or procedures developed by the organization to encourage ethical behavior and discourage unethical behavior.” (n.p.) I believe that if you understand, apply, and educate others about the value of morals, honesty, and having good ethics, you’ll become a better leader in all aspect of life.
Organizations are constantly tested with various moral and ethical problems and dilemmas. Organizational leaders are the key to establishing an ethical climate in the workplace. By understanding and improving their own moral reasoning, and the biases that affect moral judgment, they enable themselves to make better decisions. This has a catalytic effect that positively increases organizational climate, ultimately improving all organizational behavior.
The type of leader someone is vital to the success of an organization, a team or a company. How they lead can differ based on many variables (i.e., group size, personality, situation, etc.,) which in return effects those involved. But, at the core of leadership should be ethics. But even then, the standards and guidelines of what is ethical vary among people. And for that reason, it is the utmost priority to keep the focal point on leadership that contains high moral character rather than the styles of Deontologist or Consequentialist.
Finally, how ethics produce powerful leaders will stress how great leadership is unthinkable without ethics. Throughout this paper the reader will create a comprehension of what is required to become an ethical and powerful leader. The focus on personal ethics of a leader is not intended to undermine alternate, various variables that influence leadership, however to stress how personal ethics of a leader enactment as the backbone of great leadership. Intentionally tending to individual ethics will secure successful leadership, which will achieve ethical organisations and in the long run instil the social responsibility lost in today's society.
What do Kenneth Lay, Bernard Ebbers, Conrad Black, Dennis Kozlowski, and Scott Thompson have in common? Yes, they were all in high ranking leadership positions, worked for very large companies, and were men. Unfortunately for the companies they worked for, they also lacked any sense of ethical leadership. Ethics are very important in the business world, and managers need to do all they can to hire and retain ethical people.
Ethical behaviour is what all career people should aim to have. Not just the ethical attribute but exceptional behaviour with this regard.this is because in order to build a career, one must be governed by the rules of ethics to safeguard oneself and others. Ethics are essential in the workplace because a tough ethical code provides a non-threatening environment with high employee morale. The corporate social responsibility is important to everyone,therefore it should not be neglected by the employees and the organization. Ethics purely center on personal conduct. It involves personal choices that can make or break a person in the workplace or business. The major importance of having good conduct is to maintain a high level of respect not just for people but for the proffession. Most people who begin their working career have aspirations of excelling at their jobs and reaching the pinnacle of their profession while maintaining a sense of values; however employees often become blind with ambition and put aside their sense of ethics in order to obtain financial security and recognition for their efforts. There are many things that one can gain from having good behavioural ethics in the workplace. It will develop a discipline which will propel the work practices to a higher level and will help set a high standard. It will promote teamwork among the workersand will also buil...
Fulmer, R.M. “The Challenge of Ethical Leadership.” Organizational Dynamics, 33/3 (2004), 307-317. Web. 14 November 2013 http://www.kantakji.com/fiqh/files/companies/w155.pdf
Ethical educator brings values, ethics into a professional practice of purposefully being thoughtful focusing on teaching, and learning (Bonhoeffer,1995). The platform of ethical theories focuses on the moral and justification of human behavior in leadership within an organization structure (Bonhoeffer,1995). In an exploration of on the foundation of ethics, there is a conception that American society is a melting pot of cultures and individuals. Ethical leaders are stakeholders in many organizations, striving to achieve the purpose, vision, and value of his realm without compromising self-interest (Bonhoeffer,1995). Ethical leaders embody the purpose, and values of the organization and the constituents, within an understanding of ethical ideals (Bonhoeffer,1995).
Ethical leadership organizational ethics and socially responsibility are inseparable (Johnson). Leadership is not a inherited gift or family heritage; it is not a degree from an ivy league graduate school. Becoming a leader is an intentional process of growth that must be lived out experientially (Mullane). Ethical leaders demonstrate three distinctive characteristics, knowledge, action and character. Leaders have to have the ability to say “yes” or even “no” to a never ending series of challenges. A leader needs to be able to define their values, character and leadership style. When accepting the role of leadership you become encumbered by ethical issues and concerns. .
So, to be successful, I have to be aware of the different cultures and implement measures to minimize ethical issues before problems occur. Proactive leaders develop plans to assist and guide employees how to make moral decisions even when pressured to do otherwise. I think about the welfare of everyone at all level before making an ethical decision within my organization. Ethical leaders have the responsibility to balance the stakeholder's interest as well to ensure the business capitalize on its role as a responsible corporate citizen (Ferrell et al. , p. 143, 2013).
Ethics can be defined as knowing the difference between what is moral and what is immoral but decide on doing what is moral (Nieuwenhuizen & Oosthuizen, Ed, 2014: 93). Unethical business conduct can damage the organisation’s reputation and therefore result in loss of sales and profits, which will consequently result in failure in the long run. Stakeholder’s interest in business ethics is constantly rising and therefore puts pressure on businesses to up their standards in displaying ethics to all stakeholders through good governance, good ethics and social responsibility in order to ensure sustainability. Organisations should therefore take into consideration all the elements of triple bottom line. Leadership is the ability of a person to motivate others in the organisation in order to ensure success in the corporation. All corporations require good leaders who will ensure that the organisation’s mission, vision, goals and objectives are achieved and to keep all employees motivated.
“Ethics can be defined as moral principles that govern or influence a person’s behaviour and values are the context in which an organisation or society’s norms are established and justified” (buzz text book).Ethics are the guidelines helping us tell the difference between the is wrong and right. Most people are encouraged by ethics to normally do the right things. Ethics and values are based on individual beliefs and standards in society that one if from, they vary from person to person. Leadership is the authority and capability for one to lead people in an organization in order to achieve goals. They are the main role players in all the organizations and are crucial to their success. Ethics in a business means taking the precise way’
Ethical leaders set the tone for the type of organizational culture they want in their company. Leaders must have strong values that include being trustworthy and loyal. Ethical leaders earn credibility through actions and by equally and fairly holding everyone accountable for their actions. Ethical leaders are sincere and honest in their dealings daily (Yuki, Mahsud, Hassan & Prussia, 2013). The two common traits among ethical leaders are ethics and integrity. Individuals that have ethics and integrity will be successful in the business environment (Smith, 1994). Ethical leaders make ethical decisions. Ethical decision making is a critical factor for a company whose objectives include sustainability, longevity, and ability to generate