ethics

Serving the Goal, Not the Position

July 24, 2013 by jrc5465

Most leaders step in to a leadership position expecting to have control over the situation and to determine the practices of the operation they are in charge of. But when a servant leader steps in to a leadership role, they realize the job is not to control the situation but instead their goal is to help the staff gain control of the situation (Greenleaf, 1970, p. 15)

A servant leader essentially can come to a point in which the staff has gained so much control over producing the end product that the manager/leader may no longer be needed. Some may feel at first glance that this creates a risk for the leader in that they may lose their position if they are no longer needed. However, deeper insight reveals that any great managers eventually work themselves out of a job, figuratively. And this is in many cases what servant leadership looks like.

A servant leader focuses less on their positional power over others and conversely has the end goal to shift their power to their subordinates (Northouse 2013, pg. 219). This accomplishes the ever-sought value of empowerment that most subordinates seek. They are given the ability to control their productivity and methodology so that the manager no longer has to fuel it. Independence is then created for the subordinate the determine their worth and effectiveness within their given role.

Including empowering subordinates, the model of servant leadership identifies seven servant-leader behaviors that comprise its effectiveness.

1. Conceptualizing – the ability to see the big picture and the interlinking of macro factors that influence each other.

2. Emotional Healing – being sensitive to the personal concerns and well-being of others.

3. Putting Followers First – simply that…a leader allows the needs of the group to be the central focus. This includes the way they communicate and inquire with their staff. Most importantly their actions are aimed at meeting the needs of their subordinates before they meet their own needs.

4. Helping Followers Grow and Succeed – knowing the subordinate’s personal and professional goals and helping them achieve them. A servant leader is focused on developing the value and abilities of the subordinate as the subordinate prioritizes their interests.

5. Behaving Ethically – “doing the right thing in the right way” (Northouse 2013, pg. 229). This includes transparent communication, equality, unbiased methods and putting ethics before greater productivity. An unwillingness to compromise what is right for other priorities and interests.

6. Empowering – “allowing subordinates to be independent, make decisions on their own and be self sufficient” (Northouse 2013, pg. 229). A sharing of power so that followers can gain control and influence results. Empowering builds up the subordinate to accomplished their delegated tasks on their own and take ownership of their work.

7. Creating Value for the Community – giving back to the community. Involving themselves and the organization in community programs contributing time and resources for the greater good of the local area.

Servant leaders think “serve first” instead of looking for who best serves them. Serving first involves building relationships, assessing needs and open communication. These factors subsequently create comfort and confidence in subordinates. It should be noted that there are employees who prefer not to have a servant leader but instead to have a directive leader wherein they are directed on what to do, how and when to do it. They wish to be controlled and managed which naturally shifts the responsibility more to the leader than the subordinate.

Though paradoxical in semantics, Liden, Panaccio, et al. (in press) have proven through their servant leadership theory that serving is in fact leading. And outcomes are positively influenced when servant leadership is employed in work groups where the staff seek growth, independence, autonomy and ultimately aspire to become leaders themselves.

References

Greenleaf, R.K. (1970). The servant as leader. Westfield, IN: The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

Northhouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership (6th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.

Liden, R. C., Panaccio, A., Hu, J., & Meuser, J.D. (in press). Servant leadership: Antecedents, consequences, and contextual moderators. In D. V. Day (Ed), The Oxford handbook of leadership and organizations. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

The Aging Truth

July 23, 2013 by aqs5442

Today I was looking at my phone on my lunch break and started reading The New York Times. I stumbled upon an interesting article called “Three Men, Three Ages. Which Do You Like?”. At first I was I was confused but after reading the synopsis of the article I noticed that it had to do with age discrimination in the work force. While many people have heard about other discrimination in the work place, I cannot help but feel that many forget that age discrimination can still be prevalent. The brief summary of this New York Times article was that participants agreed to do an experiment where they watched three men talk about themselves. There was a 25 year old, a 45 year old, and a 75 year old. These men, though, were actually three actors from Princeton University who had nothing really “special” about them. On the video, these men all had the same script except for one line, which varied half the time. This line was whether they were generous with sharing their money with relatives or if they were not generous with them. Turns out this study showed that when the elderly man said that he was not necessarily generous with his money with relatives, he was viewed in a much more negative way than his younger counterparts if they said that they were not generous either. The point of this finding was that the more assertive and up-front the elderly person was, the more likely they may be seen negatively by coworkers or bosses compared to an assertive or up-front 25 year old.

Age discrimination has been really hard to identify in the past and the math to calculate if people are actually being discriminated against is not as straightforward as it is with race and gender (Winerip, 2013). Race and gender have statistics that show minorities and women getting paid lower than majorities and men, but with age it is not as clear cut. Recently 22,875 people filed age claims with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which is 7,100 more people than it was in 1997 (Winerip, 2013). Additionally, it takes laid-off older employees an extra six months to find a job compared to younger job hunters (Winerip, 2013). In the end there is evidence to show that age discrimination is currently on the rise (Winerip, 2013).

This discussion brings up good points about ethics. In Northouse’s Leadership: Theory and Practice, he mentions five principles of ethical leadership: respecting others, service, showing justice, manifesting honesty, and building community (Northouse, 2013, p. 431). Any sort of discrimination does not follow any of these principles. Respecting others means that leaders should be able to communicate and approach people with a sense of their worth and distinguishing differences (Kitchener, 1984). Discrimination in any way limits the opportunity for someone to see someone’s potential simply because they are blinded by a terrible stereotype of predetermined idea of someone. This can then limit what the company could be capable of because that one person who was discriminated against could have been a great asset to the business.

Times are tough and it is hard to retire younger. Therefore more and more baby boomers are still continuing to work in order to stay financially stable (Winerip, 2013). They have a lot of knowledge and experience yet their honesty and assertiveness can backfire. While this issue may take a good amount of time to correct because of its ambiguity, it is important to note that leadership ethics should begin even as a follower and it is important to keep an open mind throughout any career.

References:

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6^th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Kitchener, K. S. (1984). Institution, critical evaluation, and ethical principles: The foundation for ethical decisions in counseling psychology. Counseling Psychologist, 12(3), 43-55.

Winerip, M. (2013, July 22). Three Men, Three Ages. Which Do You Like?. The New York Times, pp. 1A. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/booming/three-men-three-ages-who-do-you-like.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

Ethics and Leadership

July 5, 2013 by bya5087

Most of us have told the ‘white lie’ at some point during the work day. But, few have had that lie come back to haunt us like the cases of Enron or the IRS have. I must admit that seeming these situations in the news do make me stop and think about what promises I make to my clients and to my bosses on a typical workday. Are the ‘white lies’ really worth it should they come back around on another day?

The value we place on Ethics in leadership seems to have lost some of its value in today’s market. At least what we see in our leadership and how they value ethics has changed. I know that there have always been ‘behind the door’ deals being made, but chances are we just never knew about them. Now, with the changes in technology and the means to track our every move, it is very hard to keep that door closes to these deals. So, has our leadership today lost or changed its value or do we just have more transparency with it today?

In either case, leadership today seems to feel invincible to the repercussions that are the fall out of their behind the door deals or white lies. I think this speaks volumes in that they do not value ethics and do not fear anything will happen to them personally or to their businesses (hence the case with Enron and the IRS). To me ethics are what help set the leadership apart. If you have ethics, you have the drive to care and determination to figure out the right way to make good things happen. Yet, in today’s world it seems as though it is the complete opposite. There are many who will work hard together to crumble those who are the few do-gooders left.

http://bambooinnovator.com/2013/06/06/what-enron-and-the-irs-have-in-common-ethical-meltdowns-are-rarely-the-work-of-a-few-rogue-workers-they-take-their-cues-from-toxic-leadership/

Where are the Ethical leaders?

July 1, 2013 by azl5218

Where are the ethical leaders?

Ethics is typically defined in our lesson (WC, Ln14 pg. 3) as the kinds of values and morals that an individual finds desirable as well as appropriate. When it comes to leadership, having a good sense of ethics comes in handy. More often times than not, people will experience certain leaders who hold very little ethical concerns in mind, and therefore do not lead with good example. When leaders take on that role of “leading” they also need to take into consideration the importance of understanding, acknowledging, and believing in good ethics. Every company for the most part, has an ethics department. They utilize these departments and trust them to teach and to hold the company and its’ employees to standard ethical guidelines that keep everyone “in check”. But where are the ethical leaders today? What companies would one find good ethical leaders at? In my personal experience, especially in the workforce, I have experienced both ethical as well as non ethical leaders. Unfortunately non ethical leaders still exist and are even thriving.

For the most part, I work in a predominantly ethical environment. A seemingly professional place of work, that from the outside would look ethical to someone who understands what ethics are supposed to be. Being that I am working in the environment and am not just a customer or consumer, I know and see bad ethics when they tend to come across. I have had a leader who would practice poor ethics, all the while attempting to lead a team of subordinates who depended on her. Morals are also a set of ethical guidelines that each person chooses to either follow or ignore. Unfortunately this person has misplaced their sense of morals, because when one chooses to act unethically they are innately acting immorally for the most part. Again, Morals (WC, Ln14 pg.3) are the motivation behind behavior that is influenced by decisions about what is right and wrong. When a leader is lacking a sense of good morals, that makes me assume they will also lack good ethical leadership, and in the case I experienced it was true.

Fortunately a leader may eventually be reformed, therefore this unethical leader although was not taught this, may have been taught to act more ethically at her job. Sometimes though, a leader will not always grasp the full idea of what ethics really are, and how to integrate them in the way she leads others. Acting ethically is something that each person is somehow taught but it is something that is also innate in all of us. When a leader fails to act ethical, especially in a working environment as the one I am describing creates a sense of failure in my opinion. Not only is the failure coming to the leader but also the team being led. If a team is being led by an individual who does not act ethically, the team is no longer learning anything positive, and may want to speak up but cannot for various reasons.

I felt that when I had worked with this leader, it was difficult to come to a consensus with her. Speaking up to her was difficult to do because she is obviously above us, and has some say in the work environment. Unfortunately nobody could actually confront the unethical behavior to her directly. This would have created a situation that would have elevated into an uncomfortable working environment. What I learned from such situation, was to go to someone that was directly above her, and explain the situation and what ethics have been mistreated and not followed for the duration of the time. Luckily the situation was alleviated when this leader was terminated. Sometimes a leader is simply unprepared for such position. Other times a person is lacking in providing ethical behavior and lacks a complete definition as well as understanding of what it means to be ethical and also lead others in an ethical manner.

If someone is being led unethically they will eventually learn the same habit and become an unethical leader themselves. As a society we may see many leaders that are well known and who we are sure act unethically. Unfortunately those leaders sometimes continue acting the same way because of either lack of repercussions for their actions, or lack of knowledge that they are doing something wrong. Another analysis is that leaders who act unethically may actually be aware that what they are doing is wrong but they decide to do it anyway because it may benefit them in some manner. People who choose to act unethically are immoral people and choose to ignore societal norms of ethics and morals. Unfortunately we all may experience unethical leaders whether they purposefully act this way or simply do not understand what it means to act ethically, either way we need to find where the ethical leaders really are.

Reference:

Penn State World Campus (2013) Lesson 14: Ethics and Leadership. Retrieved on June 30, 2013 fromhttps://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su13/psych485/001/content/14_lesson/04_page.html

Ethical leadership in business

June 29, 2013 by jlm6194

Ethical leadership is characterized by five principles; an ethical leader respects others, serves others, shows justice, manifests honesty and builds community (Northouse, 2013). High profile leadership failures such as the Enron and Worldcom scandals of the last decade and the more recent financial industry crisis have wreaked widespread havoc on the lives of countless individuals, raising a number of questions regarding the seemingly widespread lack of ethics in modern business culture. Meanwhile, our increasingly interconnected economic, political and social systems demand that truly ethical leaders make decisions that incorporate stakeholder needs and perspectives from beyond the boundaries of a single organization, constituency or group. The challenge to ethical leaders in modern business lay in balancing economic and noneconomic responsibilities. For instance, the virtues of justice and service demand that an ethical leader ensure that decisions ‘do no harm’ to the broader community in which they operate, a noneconomic goal that may be directly at odds with the economic goal of maximizing value for primary stakeholders such as shareholders and employees.

At the organizational level, a commitment to broader ethical behavior is often framed as corporate social performance. Some work suggests that organizations balance service to stakeholders (both economic and noneconomic) differently across the lifecycle (Jawahar & McLaughlin, 2001). Mature organizations respond proactively to external stakeholders (i.e., corporate social performance is most high), while organizations in start-up mode, in growth stage, or in decline/transition demonstrate diminished social performance.

Organizational factors that impact individual ethical behavior are of particular interest to this discussion. Individual ethical behavior is mediated by both internal (e.g., values, beliefs) and external factors (e.g., peer influence, career level) (Ford & Richardson, 1994). In the case of Enron, Ken Lay blames the fraudulent behavior of his subordinates on external factors–the lack of clear ethical standards within the organization. Enron management assumed that ethics ‘just happened’ (Ferrell & Ferrell, 2010). Ford and Richardson (1994) suggest that a corporate code of conduct, especially one enforced with rewards and sanctions, increases individual ethical decision-making. In contrast to the increase of corporate social performance in mature organizations, individual ethical behavior decreases as an organization grows in size (Ford & Richardson, 1994). In addition, ethical organizational culture mediates individual ethical behavior. These two factors have significant implications for how ethical leaders manage business growth. These factors underscore the responsibility of leaders to engage in ethical practices, articulate expectations regarding ethical behavior, and implement rewards and sanctions for compliance (or lack thereof) to an ethical code of conduct.

Some argue that our corporate capitalist system is fundamentally incapable of balancing the demand to ‘do well’ (generate value for shareholders) and to ‘do good’ (behave ethically toward the society in which the business operates). Others suggest that individual behavior strategies, such as increased ethical behavior at the middle management level in large organizations may serve to redress the imbalances created between pursuit of profit and achievement of public goals (Doane, 2005). It remains to be seen whether a sustainable future characterized by widespread improvement in standards of living, health, education and opportunity is possible in a late capital society. I propose that, to this end, true ethical leadership in business requires acknowledgement of broader obligations; the imperatives of respect, service, justice, honesty and community apply not only to a leader’s subordinates and primary stakeholders, but also to community and society.

Doane, D. (2005). Beyond corporate social responsibility: minnows, mammoths and markets. Futures, 37(2-3), 215-229. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2004.03.028

Ferrell, O. C., & Ferrell, L. (2010). The Responsibility and Accountability of CEOs: The Last Interview with Ken Lay. Journal of Business Ethics, 100(2), 209-219. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0675-y

Ford, R. C., & Richardson, W. D. (1994). Ethical decision making: A review of the empirical literature. Journal of Business Ethics, 13(3), 205-221. doi:10.1007/BF02074820

Jawahar, I., & McLaughlin, G. (2001). Toward a Descriptive Stakeholder Theory: An Organizational Life Cycle Approach. Academy of Management Review, 26(3), 397-414. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/259184

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.