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 LeadershipA style devoid of
ethical principles and active opposition to
what is ethical.
2. Moral LeadershipConforms 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 cultures 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

Fellow Workers

Fellow Workers

Family

Regions of
Country

Profession
The Individual

Friends

The Law

Conscience
Employer

Religious
Beliefs

Society at Large

Making Ethical
Judgments
Behavior or act
that has been
committed

compared with

Value judgments
and perceptions of
the observer

Prevailing norms
of acceptability

Principles Approach to
Ethics
Principles
Approach
Anchors decision

making
on an ethical principle
Caring
Utilitarianism
such as:
Virtue ethics
Rights
Servant leadership
Justice
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 Lea

Listening
Empathy
Healing
Persuasion
Awareness

Foresight
Conceptualization
Commitment to the
growth of people
Stewardship
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 ones 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
Standards/Norms
-Personal
-Organizational
-Societal
-International

Principles Approach
Ethical Principles
-Justice
-Rights
-Utilitarianism
-Golden Rule

Course of action passes

ethics screen

Engage in course of
action

Ethical Tests Approach

Ethical Tests
-Common sense
-Ones best self
-Public disclosure
-Gag test . . .
Course of action fails
ethics screen

Do not engage in course

of 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.