Morals, Ethics, and Leadership

Tara CollinsJodie MitchellTerri Panich

Overview

The five principles of ethical power Ethical systems Ethical systems and leadership Cultural differences in

management styles

The Five Principles of Ethical Power

Purpose Pride Patience Persistence Perspective

Purpose

Purpose vs. Goal

The mirror test

Pride

Pride is the sense of satisfaction that you get from accomplishments

People sometimes have too much or too little pride

False pride and self doubt

Patience

One reason that people are impatient is a lack of faith

What is faith?

Persistence

Winston Churchill

Being an ethical person means behaving ethically all the time – not only when it is convenient

Perspective

Perspective is the capacity to see what is really important in any given situation

The Interrelationship Between the 5 P’s

Perspect-

ive

Persist-ence

Patience

Pride

PurposePurpose

Pride

Patience

Persistence

Perspective

Balance of the 5 P’s

There has to be balance between these 5 principles of ethical power

How does one find this balance?

Ethical Systems Ethical System: set of ground rules for

making a right decision (Hitt 98)

There are 4 ethical systems:1. End-result ethics2. Rule ethics3. Social contract ethics4. Personalistic ethics

End-result Ethics

Moral rightness of action is determined by consequences (Hitt 100)

Action is (im)moral depending on the happiness it promotes

Highest good is a life of pleasure

Rule Ethics

Moral rightness of action is determined by laws (Hitt 100)

Rules provide standards people can judge their actions on

Highest good is a life of virtue

Social Contract Ethics

Moral rightness of action is determined by the customs of a community (Hitt 100)

People act according to a common authority

Benefits are reciprocated between the members and community

Personalistic Ethics

Moral rightness of action is determined by one’s conscience (Hitt 100)

Actions are judged on personal convictions

Beliefs change with time = actions in a situation will also change with time

Leadership Styles

Four leadership styles correspond to the above ethical systems:1. Manipulator2. Bureaucratic administrator3. Professional manager4. Transforming leader

Manipulator

Corresponds to end-result ethics

Primary function of leadership is to use deception to further one’s own end

(Hitt 137)

“End justifies the means”

Bureaucratic Administrator

Corresponds to rule ethics

Primary function of leadership is to enforce rules (Hitt 137)

Control shifts from the leader to the rules

Professional Manager

Corresponds to social contract ethics

Primary function of leadership is to accomplish things (Hitt 137)

Social contract arises because the organization establish rules and leader agrees to abide by them

Transforming Leader

Corresponds to personalistic ethics

Primary function of leadership is to life followers to better selves (Hitt 137)

Leader views people in terms of potential not actualities

Cultural Differences in Ethics

Ethical decision processes vary from culture to culture

Examples:• Bribery study done with Nigerian and

American Business Students (Tsalikis and Nwachukwu, 1991)

• Interest of managers in US, France, and Germany (Becker and Fritzche, 1987)

• Business relations in China

Understanding Cultural Differences

Four Management Styles: 1. The Family2. The Eiffel Tower3. The Guided Missile4. The Incubator

Trompenaars, 1993

The Family

Hierarchical power-oriented corporate culture

Used in Japan, India, Italy, and Spain

The Eiffel Tower

Rule Driven

Used in France, Germany, and Holland

The Guided Missile

Do whatever it takes

Used in America and the UK

The Incubator

Fulfilling the employees’ needs and aspirations

Used in Sweden

Final Note

Trompenaars believes: “In every culture, authority, bureaucracy,

creativity, empowerment, verification, and accountability are experienced in different ways”. (Shackleton, 162)

Conclusion Management Systems are influenced

by:• Ethical systems

• Leadership styles

• Management styles

Works Cited and Consulted

Blanchard, Kenneth and Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Ethical Management. New York, New York: Willow Marrow and Co, Inc, 1988.

Hitt, William D. Ethics and Leadership: Putting Theory into Practice. Columbus, Ohio: Battleford Press, 1990.

Rittenburg, Terri L. and Valentine, Sean R. “Spanish and American Executives’ Ethical Judgments and Intentions.” Journal of Business Ethics 38 (2002): 291-306.

Shackleton, Viv. Business Leadership. New York, New York: Routledge, 1995.