Discussions about ethical leadership are not new and go back to the ideas of Plato and Sophocles in the Western tradition and to the ideas of Confucius in the Eastern. Thinkers of both directions considered the ethical aspect as the key to achieving leadership effectiveness. In general, ethical leadership is not a new approach to understanding leadership; rather, it considers the most important element of any conceptualization of leadership behavior and leadership in general. In more or less explicit expression, leadership morality and ethical behavior are present in well-known leadership concepts: transformational, authentic, spiritual, and servant leadership.
Most of the works in the field of ethical leadership research are empirical and descriptive and are devoted to the subject of ethical leadership. The main task that is solved in this case is to identify the key parameters inherent in an ethical leader. The definition of M. Brown is widely known, which defines ethical leadership as a normatively acceptable behavior implemented in personal actions and interpersonal relationships, as well as stimulating such behavior among followers through two-way communication (Brown & Trevino, 2019). The deontological approach assumes that the rules must be enforced.
The manager follows rational rules more because they are considered correct than determining effectiveness. If the leader follows the established procedures, it is considered that he acts ethically, despite the result. In this case, the emphasis is on the means to achieve the goal and their moral characteristics. The deontological approach emphasizes the importance of the moral image of the leader as a person and the importance of having sound principles that guide the leader in his decisions and actions.
The teleological or consequentialist approach determines the ethics of a leader by the consequences of his actions – the leader acts ethically if the results of his actions are evaluated positively, and it does not matter what these actions themselves are. The result is more important, even if the means to achieve it are questionable. The above descriptions emphasize two key elements in the understanding of ethical leadership: the qualities of the leader himself and the peculiarities of his behavior (Ferrell et al., 2019) In particular, the morality of the leader, his honesty, ethical consciousness, as well as the ability to interact without violating ethical principles and to bring an ethical aspect to the activities of the team and the organization.
An ethical leader also acts as a moral manager who strives for other members of the organization to follow ethical standards. The main requirements of ethical leadership are, firstly, that it accepts the moral values of employees. It is ethically unacceptable to force an employee to act contrary to his conscience or to punish him financially for his moral principles. Secondly, ethical leadership encourages identification with the enterprise. Moreover, ethical leadership considers a person’s dignity and freedom.
The widespread definition of ethical leadership is based on a relativistic approach that appeals to “normatively acceptable behavior” and leaves out the question of which norms ethical leaders implement in their relationships with followers. Therefore, it is not enough to define ethical behavior as “normatively acceptable” without describing at least a minimal set of ethical standards that will help assess the ethics of behavior and the values underlying it (Saha et al., 2020). Attributing actions and behavior as ethical or correct is impossible outside of certain regulatory frameworks.
In conclusion, social responsibility and ethical business begin with ethical leadership. Ethical leadership means loyalty to moral principles, awareness of the complexity of some ethical problems, the manager’s sensitivity to the different views of his employees, and the management of conflicts that may arise. Human orientation means respect and recognition of the dignity of others, treating a person as an end, not a means. The influence of ethical leadership on behavior and attitudes is due to followers’ trust in the leader.
References
Brown M.E., Trevino L.K. (2019). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly. Vol. 17. P. 595-616.
Saha, R., Cerchione, R., Singh, R., & Dahiya, R. (2020). Effect of ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility on firm performance: A systematic review. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(2), 409-429.
Ferrell O., Fraedrich J., & Ferrell L. (2019). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Cengage.