Ethical leadership

    Ethical Leadership

Ethics, in a specific reference to a work environment refer to the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group; specifically, the standards you use to decide what your conduct should be. On similar lines, the idea of Ethical Leadership means: “knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good” (Ethicalleadership.org). Unlike the traditional view of leading with the sole perspective of maximizing monetary revenues, this aspect of leadership which has just recently acquired increasing importance in the eyes of leaders regardless of the size and nature of their organization, refers to leaders leading and organizing their employees in a manner that ideal values pertaining to dignity and fair play are not only respected by them but sub-ordinates in an organization are also inspired to abide by the same rules. Two features serve to comprise the factors that determine the characteristics of an ethical leadership and they are, namely, the character and integrity of the leader himself. Additionally, ethical leadership also differs from the traditional mode of leadership in that leaders seek to inspire and empower their sub-ordinates with a sense of self-sufficiency which not only increases the capability of the employee manifold but serves to contribute to the success of the firm in the long run as well.

There are many reasons as to why ethical leadership should be implemented in an organization today and which rightly account for the increasing level of importance that the concept has recently acquired in literature pertaining to leadership. Adopting leadership behavior that abides by ethical values guarantees multiple factors that work in the benefit of the organization. It builds trust within and outside the organization which serves to bring good name to the company and its employees. This in turn, increases the prospects of the organization’s collaboration with external ventures and also acts as a strong support factor when, in case, the leader or his organization engages in a dispute with an external party (Communityhelp.ku.edu). Moreover, leading one’s subordinates ethically and keeping with the needs and demands of the employees ensures employee satisfaction which in turn solidifies their commitment to the organization which is undoubtedly in great favor of the organization itself. Also, adopting ethical practices at work also helps the leader or the company in general to avoid engaging in any cases of employee litigation (Dessler 574-621).

Given the multi-dimensional nature of the concept of ethical leadership in a work-related environment, it is not surprising to see that there are multiple ways in which one can implement such leadership in an organization. To begin with, “Ethical leadership should be practiced all the time by anyone in a formal or informal leadership position”(Communityhelp.ku.edu).

The primary components of leading in an ethical manner include, as mentioned in the definition above, a specific framework composed of certain, marked rules which determine the ethical culture of the organization and the course of action of the leader himself, which everyone is obligated to follow. This ethical framework should be in line with that of the organization and should, in the long run, serve to further the organization’s interests.  Amongst the top priorities of the leader should be to disseminate amongst his peers and subordinates the basic directives of the ethical framework of the workplace and also instill in them the level of importance attached to the act of abiding by it. This can be done by showing physically (through implicit signs etcetera) or by explicit reward system to appreciate the performance of those who operate under the ethical framework of the organization. Moreover, to ensure the effectiveness of the actions of the leadership on to those being lead –on, the construction of the ethical framework of the organization should take place in collaboration with the employees themselves. This should be continued in the form of open discussions of issues pertaining to ethics in an organization and the leader himself should be forthcoming to deal with any issues openly with his subordinates.

Also, an important part of effective ethical leadership is to ensure that normative rules outlining the ethics of the organization are reciprocated with physical action. This can be done by arranging for positive performance appraisals and rewards that acknowledge the individual’s ethical behavior at work. The exact opposite should be done to an individual who adopts the opposite course of action namely by subjecting him to disciplinary action which could culminate into eventual termination, if that be the case. Either way, the purpose should be to ensure that all individuals are dealt with and rewarded fairly or that the leadership, at the end of the day, is exemplary for its sub-ordinates (Dessler 574-621).

Conclusively, it can be deduced that effective leadership is in marked contrast to the conventional modes of leadership that have been surfaced so far. It is characterized by leaders taking up roles that exceed their previously set boundaries and requires them to rise above the act of pursuing their own interests and instead work towards the general betterment of the organization. In doing so, not only does the organization benefit in monetary terms but its personnel at individual levels aspire to adopt a similar behavior as well. Although still a very normative concept, the idea of ethical leadership has fast gained recognition and looks to develop and adopted further even more in the future.