Leadership

PSYCH 485 blog

How does Team Leadership play a role in the workplace?

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Team Leadership is commonly seen and experienced first hand in today’s workplaces. Teams are created and work together to reach a common goal while each individual completes a piece of the metaphorical puzzle to combine into one overall accomplishment. In the workplace, this is often seen when multiple employees complete a different aspect of the job that allows the business to function day to day. The members of a team are often dependent on one another to each complete their respective tasks in order to meet the same goal. There are many aspects to the concept of Team Leadership, however there are some more important factors that go into how the innerworkings of a team come together that are considered more than others.

One of the first aspects of a group is the size. The size of a group can heavily impact the ability to share leadership among the group members. In a large group, it is much more feasible to have a designated leader versus attempting to share the roles of leadership among many members. The larger a group is, the more problems that can arise. For example, when there are many individuals in a group, they may begin to break off into smaller groups or “cliques,” where they gravitate more towards others who may share a smaller common goal or whom they feel fits in with their personality more. Additionally, in the workplace especially, something called social loafing can occur. Social loafing is when less effort is given by members of the group because they are not solely responsible for the outcomes of the whole group. In a work environment, this is often seen by employees who realize that they are not wholely responsible for the goal and that if it is not met, they will likely not be blamed individually for it. In turn, other members of the team may begin to try and pick up the slack for their less involved coworkers, which is where problems potentially arise in a team. Group roles are another aspect of groups that is involved here, because each group member has a role that they are expected to keep up with and perform the duties of, and when this is not being met it may cause animosity amongst the group.

Additionally, the aspect of group stages in a group play a big role. In order to determine this, there was a study done and reviewed with 60 different groups by Tuckman, who found that there are four stages of development that groups go through. The first step to this was called forming. Forming is essentially the first meeting of a team, which includes introductions and initial information  sharing. Storming is the next stage, which is when the team members deliberate to determine how the tasks will be completed and how they will reach their common goal. Norming is when the group leader becomes more evident and norms begin to form with the group and they begin working towards their shared goal. Lastly, the performing stage is where the members focus on conpleting their own individual, independent tasks that work towards the goal. In Tuckman’s initial observation, he states ” In the social realm, these stages in the developmental sequence are testing-dependence, conflict, cohesion, and functional roles” (Tuckman, 1965., pg. 384). In the workplace, these stages are often very present. The initial forming stage can be when a new team is hired and they introduce themselves and share basic information about one another with the other members who they will be working alongside. Storming can be seen when they are beginning to learn the roles and expectations of the job and are now determining how they will complete the job and what tasks should be assigned to who. Norming could be typical once the team members begin training and are being guided by their supervisor or manager, the designated group leader, and also learning how to complete their assigned tasks. Performing is the homerun of the stages, where the team members begin to work independently and complete their designated assignments and tasks to complete their piece of the goal. These stages are not only prevalent in the workplace, but also commonly seen as a way to ensure everyone is doing their part and working towards the goal.

Another important aspect within team leadership is the critical functions. In our learning, we have focused on two of them, which are task functions and maintenance functions. Task functions involve everything that has to do with getting the tasks done, from the way that the leader helps their group members complete their respective tasks down to how the members get their tasks completed. The way that a leader involves themselves is based on the needs of the group, whether that is performance based or development based. Maintenance functions on the other hand, involve the leaders creating a cohesive environment and solving problems that are not task-driven, such as creating a positive work enviroment. These two functions are critical to the success of the team and involve a sense of awareness from the leader to be able to determine what is needed from them for the smooth functionality of the group.

Lastly, a huge portion of team leadership and its effectiveness is noticing the outcomes that it provides. When team leadership is evident and effective in a workplace, how will we know? It is often noticeable in small instances, such as a common goal being met or completed because each team member had a clear idea of what was expected of them and what tasks they needed to complete to have done their part. Another noticeable piece of team leadership is noticing the way that a team works together. It is typically very evident when a team is not cohesive and does share the same commitment and competency towards their role. Animosity is seen among those team members and are often noticeably excluded by others who may be frustrated with their inability to support the other team members in their shared goal. When a team is supported and working with other like-minded members, they are often seen functioning as one whole unit even with their own independent tasks.

Team Leadership has always played a role in the workplace and will likely continue to in order to complete necessary tasks to reach common goals for the business. Leaders encourage and support their team members to reach their goal and create a functional workplace where the employees and group members feel that they can perform the duties of their job and working towards the common goal shared by all of the members. The leaders in this situation play just as much of a crucial role as the team members, as if the group does not feel like they are being appreciated and supported to complete their tasks, they will likely not put in their full effort to do so. It is important in the workplace to ensure that team leadership is a vital aspect that is taking place, as that is the final piece to the puzzle.

 

 

 

References:

Northhouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and Practice (9th Edition). SAGE Publishing.

Tuckman, B.W. (1965) Developmental sequence in small groups.  Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.

Tuckman, B.W., & Jensen, M.A.C. (1977). Stages of small group development revisited, Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419- 427.

 

Culture, Diversity, and Leadership

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The world’s increasing globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds than ever before. People no longer live and work in a national marketplace, they are now part of a worldwide economy with competition coming from nearly every continent. According to Green, et al., (2002), due to the world’s increasing globalization, profit and non-profit organizations need diversity to become more creative and open to change. Maximizing and capitalizing on workplace diversity has become an important issue for management today (Green, et al., 2002). In this blog post, I will explore how managers and businesses can effectively lead diversity and diverse cultures at work. 

According to Taylor (2015), both transformational leadership and effectively managed workplace diversity have been theorized and shown to lead to increased employee creative performance at work. According to Northouse (2018), transformational leadership is part of the “New Leadership” paradigm, which gives more attention to charismatic and affective elements of leadership. Furthermore transformational leadership is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals (Northouse, 2018). Transformational leaders are charismatic leaders who are strong role models for the beliefs and values they want their followers to adopt (Northouse, 2018). Businesses can use practices rooted in transformational leadership to effectively lead diversity at work. For example, Nordstrom (2022), is committed to compelling future-oriented leadership expectations and shared culture that will drive their business ambition. In addition, they are measuring leaders on their performance in this area through the Inclusion Index and feedback from their teams and coworkers (Nordstrom, 2022). In alignment with transformational leadership practices, Nordstrom joined a multiyear corporate partnership with the National Urban League, a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality and social justice (Nordstrom, 2022). Furthermore, Nordstrom is committed to change. They are doubling their charitable giving to nonprofit organizations that promote anti-racism, bringing that total to approximately $1,000,000 per year for the next five years (Nordstrom, 2022).

Transformational leadership involves commitment to its organizations long-term goals (Northouse, 2018). Nordstrom plans to increase demographic diversity in all their corporate and leadership positions to better reflect the North American population (Nordstrom, 2022). In addition, by the end of 2025, they will increase representation of Black and Latinx populations in people-manager roles by at least 50% (Nordstrom, 2022). They will also leverage their internship program and other initiatives that help them reach qualified candidates early in their careers, with a goal on average of at least 50% of participants in these programs coming from underrepresented populations (Nordstrom, 2022). Nordstrom’s business practices embody inclusive values, ethics, high standards, and long-term goals. They are revisiting their practices and the training resources they offer for all customer-facing roles to ensure they include anti-racism and anti-bias content (Nordstrom, 2022). Furthermore, their commitment to diversity and their zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind extends to the partners they work with (Nordstrom, 2022). Nordstrom works hard to partner with influencers and bloggers who have similar values to them when it comes to important topics like racism and discrimination (Nordstrom, 2022). Other businesses and individual leaders can adopt these transformational leadership practices to effectively lead diversity at work. 

In regards to leading diverse cultures at work, global leaders need to develop five cross-cultural competencies (Northouse, 2018). First, leaders need to understand business, political, and cultural environments worldwide (Northouse, 2018). Second, leaders need to learn the perspectives, tastes, trends, and technologies of many other cultures (Northouse, 2018). Third, they need to be able to work simultaneously with people from many cultures (Northouse, 2018). Fourth, leaders must be able to adapt to living and communicating in other cultures (Northouse, 2018). Fifth, they need to learn to relate to people from other cultures from a position of equality rather than cultural superiority (Northouse, 2018). Managers can implement these cross-cultural competencies at work when working with individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds. For example, when working with someone from the UAE or who is from Arab culture, managers should research how their business, political, and cultural environments differ from their own. Contrast to US culture, according to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates Washington, DC (n.d.), punctuality is not considered a virtue in the Arab world. People are often kept waiting before or during a meeting (Embassy of the United Arab Emirates Washington, DC, n.d.). It is important for managers to know this information because in the US culture, being kept before or during a meeting is a sign of disrespect. However, in Arab culture it is quite normal behavior. Furthermore, when managing people from different cultures, it is important to understand and respect their religion. Managers should allow employees to be excused from work during prayer times and major holidays. This is a prime example of humane-oriented leadership which emphasizes being supportive, considerate, compassionate, and generous (Northouse, 2018).

Furthermore, it’s important to consider how different cultures prefer different methods of leadership. For example, Asia countries prefer self-protective leadership (Northouse, 2018). They are used to leaders who do not invite them to be involved in goal setting or decision making (Northouse, 2018). In Asia countries, leaders use status and position to make independent decisions without the input of others (Northouse, 2018). For example, if a manager needs to promote one of their employees, they will not discuss the opportunity with their employees. The manager would make the decision on his or her own without input from the employees’ feelings, suggestions, or considerations. In contrast to Asia countries, countries in Nordic Europe prefer leadership that is highly visionary and participative, while being somewhat independent and diplomatic (Northouse, 2018). Nordic Europeans prefer leaders who are inspiring, and who involve others in decision making (Northouse, 2018). For example, in Nordic Europe if the manager needed to make a decision about a new policy the company wants to implement, the manager would discuss the new policy with his or her employees. The manager would want their feedback, comments, and suggestions. 

In conclusion, diversity is beneficial to both associates and employers. Although employees are interdependent in the workplace, respecting individual differences can increase productivity (Green, et al., 2002). Diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, recruitment, creativity, and business image (Green, et al., 2002). In an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness, diversity is critical for an organization’s success (Green, et al., 2002). Businesses and managers can use practices rooted in transformational leadership to effectively lead diversity at work. Transformational leadership places a strong emphasis on followers’ needs, values, and morals which are crucial to leading diversity (Northouse, 2018). Furthermore, managers can implement cross-cultural competencies at work when working with individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds. In order to effectively lead diversity and diverse cultures at work, managers should know that different cultures prefer different methods of leadership. Managing diversity is a comprehensive process for creating a work environment that includes everyone (Green, et al., 2002). When creating a successful diverse workforce, an effective manager should focus on personal awareness (Green, et al., 2002). Both managers and employees need to be aware of their personal biases. Therefore, organizations need to develop, implement, and maintain ongoing training because a one-day session of training will not change people’s behavior (Green, et al., 2002). Managers should also implement policies such as mentoring programs to provide employees access to information and opportunities (Green, et al., 2002). 

References

Embassy of the United Arab Emirates Washington, DC. Starting a Business: UAE Embassy in Washington, DC. Starting a Business | UAE Embassy in Washington, DC. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://www.uae-embassy.org/business-trade/getting-started 

Green, K. A., López, M., Wysocki, A., & Kepner, K. (2002). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools: HR022/HR022, 7/2002. EDIS, 2002(2). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-hr022-2002

Nordstrom. (2022). Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. Nordstrom.com. Retrieved April 17, 2022, from https://www.nordstrom.com/browse/diversity-at-nordstrom

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Culture and Leadership. In  Leadership: Theory and practice (Eight, pp.433-472). essay, SAGE Publications.

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Transformational Leadership. In Leadership: Theory and practice (Eight, pp. 163–196). essay, SAGE Publications.

Taylor, A. S. (2015). Transformational Leadership, Diversity, and Creativity at Work: A Moderated Mediation Model. UMI Dissertation Publishing , 1–223. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.2338 

 

Mahatma Gandhi: A Servant Leader

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Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most famous examples of effective and influential leadership. Gandhi is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest leaders of the non-violent movements the world has ever seen. The purpose of this blog post is to examine the outstanding qualities of servant leadership that Gandhi provided. First, I will provide a brief definition of servant leadership. Then, I will examine the model of servant leadership and apply how Gandhi exemplified these qualities from his personal life and work. In conclusion, I will discuss how Gandhi’s servant leadership characteristics can be studied and practiced around the world. 

What is Servant Leadership?

According to Northouse (2018), servant leadership emphasizes that leaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them. Servant leaders put followers first above themselves and seek to empower them. Furthermore, servant leaders are ethical, they lead in ways that serve the greater good of the organization, community, and society (Northouse, 2018). Before Gandhi committed his life to be a leader of the Indian freedom struggle, he practiced law in South Africa. According to Barnabas and Clifford (2012), in South Africa he experienced the sufferings of the Indians due to racial tensions which prompted him to lead the Indians to fight against racial problems by adopting the strategy of Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha (holding on to truth). When he returned to India, he led Indians to fight the British with the same strategies. These servant leadership principles, applied in practice, forced the British to declare independence from India and India became an independent nation (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). After India’s independence, a struggle between the Hindus and the Muslims who lived in India and Pakistan arose (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). On January 30, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated because he took a stand to make peace with Muslims by nonviolent means and supported them even though he was a Hindu (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). Gandhi was a servant leader because he hoped to persuade people by changing their hearts and minds, and advocated non-violence in all things. He attended to the concerns of his followers by advocating for the civil rights of Indians. He demonstrated empathy towards the Indians, Muslims, and Hindus. He strived to heal his followers from racial tensions. He tried to build a community of peace, he wanted people to feel safe and connected with others.

Model of Servant Leadership

The model of servant leadership consists of three components: antecedent conditions, servant leader behaviors, and outcomes (Northouse, 2018). The central focus of the model is the seven behaviors of leaders that foster servant leadership: conceptualizing, emotional healing, putting followers first, helping followers grow and succeed, behaving ethically, empowering, and creating value for the community (Northouse, 2018). Gandhi is a primary example of a servant leader based on his behaviors. As I discussed above, he was an advocate for non-violence in all things. He led ethically, in the ways of Satyagraha and put his followers’ needs above his own. Gandhi helped followers grow and succeed by doing acts of service. Gandhi’s service started in his days in South Africa, where he taught English to Indians without any remuneration, to improve their living conditions among racial tensions (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). Gandhi put his followers’ needs before his own when the black plague struck Indians in South Africa. Gandhi volunteered to nurse the victims, disregarding infection and fully knowing the risks (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). Furthermore, during the Zulu rebellion many Zulus were injured and there was no one to attend to their injuries. Gandhi, along with 23 Indian volunteers, formed the Indian ambulance corps and attended to the injured and nursed them back to health (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). 

Part of being a servant leader is creating value for the community. In 1901, Gandhi decided to return to India from South Africa after leading the South African Indians in their struggle for equality (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). On the eve of his departure, he was presented with gold and silver objects and diamond ornaments by the Indian community as a token of gratitude for his public service in South Africa (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). With these gold and silver objects, Gandhi created a community fund which was held by trustees and the fund was used for serving the needs of South African Indians (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). This also serves as an example of Gandhi empowering his followers, putting them first, and helping them grow and succeed. Gandhi (1948a), wrote in his autobiography “The evening I was presented with the bulk of these things I had a sleepless night…. It was difficult for me to forego gifts worth hundreds, it was more difficult to keep them. And even if I could keep them, what about my children? What about my wife? They were being trained to a life of service and to an understanding that service was its own reward. I had no costly ornaments in the house. We had been fast simplifying our life. … I decided that I could not keep these things. I drafted a letter creating a trust of them in favor of the community…. In the morning I held a consultation with my wife and children and finally got rid of the heavy incubus” (p. 270). Gandhi’s thoughts embody who and what a servant leader is and does. Gandhi didn’t want to keep the gifts, he felt like he couldn’t keep the gifts. He felt the urge to serve and help the people and the community. Furthermore, he taught his wife and children his beliefs. Gandhi believed that a life in service is a reward on its own. 

Gandhi’s strong desire to lead and serve can be described as leader attributes which is a part of the antecedent conditions in the model of servant leadership. Leader attributes describe why one may feel a deep desire to serve or why one is strongly motivated to lead (Northouse, 2018). Gandhi believed in his calling to free the Indians in South Africa from racial discrimination. After his return to India in 1915, his mission was to free the Indians from British rule, and towards the end of his life his mission was to remove hatred between Hindus and Muslims and make Indians live in harmony (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). Recent research has attempted to determine if there are specific leader traits that are important to servant leadership. Having humility can make a servant leader more impactful regardless of one’s position in an organization (Northouse, 2018). Gandhi did not seek after influential posts, “He was the leader of the Indian National Congress on its formation, but when young leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru rose up, he gave way to them to become leaders of the Indian National Congress” (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012, p. 136). After independence, he did not hold any post in the government but remained a humble servant who sacrificed his life for the cause of India (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). In the model of servant leadership, most of the servant behaviors focus directly on recognizing followers’ contributions and helping them realize their full human potential (Northouse, 2018). Gandhi achieved this outcome with his followers because due to his leadership, his followers gained a greater self-actualization. His followers wanted to grow and lead themselves. For example, in South Africa, an ordinance called the Black Act was passed in July 1907, requiring Indians to be fingerprinted, registered, and to carry identification cards at all times, and failure to do so was to be punishable by prison, heavy fines, or deportation (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). Gandhi’s followers, along with Gandhi himself, resisted by picketing the offices at which they were supposed to register. Gandhi’s leadership had a positive impact on his followers’ task performance because he helped empower them and grow as humans. 

Conclusion 

Gandhi personified the model of servant leadership from his personal life and work. Hay and Hodgkinson (2006), argued for a more grounded conception of leadership and, as such, puts leadership back in the grasp of ordinary people by saying a leader is an ordinary individual who is imperfect and subject to existential struggles like all of us, and not seen in the one who is a heroic figure with inspirational powers. Gandhi was a great leader, yet he practiced the characteristics of leadership which an ordinary person can follow. For example, putting others first, empowering others, and making a positive impact on the community can be done by a leader in small ways. A person can host a fundraiser for a charity, put together a blood drive donation, or create a group or club that reads to underprivileged children. Gandhi’s ideals and characteristics featured in this blog post depict clearly that he practiced servant leadership throughout his life in South Africa and India. 

References

Barnabas, A., & Clifford , P. S. (2012). Mahatma Gandhi – An Indian Model of Servant Leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 7(2), 132–150. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://www.regent.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IJLS_Vol7Iss2_Barnabas_pp132-150.pdf. 

Gandhi, M. K. (1948a). Gandhi’s Autobiography – The story of my experiments with the truth, translated from Gujarati by Mahadev Desai. Washington DC: Public Affairs Press. 

Hay, A., & Hodgkinson, M. (2006). Rethinking leadership: A way forward for teaching leadership? Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 27(2), 144–158. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730610646642 

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Servant Leadership. In Leadership: Theory and practice (Eight, pp. 227–256). essay, SAGE Publications.

 

The Dark Side of Leadership

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I recently saw this documentary about a woman who fooled the world into thinking that she had created this new product that would revolutionize the way health technology and medicine worked for the every day person. This elaborate scheme turned out to be a total fraudulent company and it ended with the CEO under massive scrutiny and has charges against her. Now, this has me wondering how this situation got his far and why was it as successful as it was up until the very end?

Elizabeth Holmes, CEO and founder of Theranos; what used to be a blood-testing startup company that screened blood in a more “efficient” way for different medical conditions – is now a woman behind bars who committed fraud. She was described by many as a successful entrepreneur and that even at a young age she excelled as a top student. Her university teacher stated [Holmes] was a silent leader who carried herself with poise (Dunn, 2019). Yet in a 2019 documentary about the rise and fall of her multi-billion dollar company – in her adult life, she was seen as a demanding, manipulative, narcissistic and ultimately unethical. Holmes not only conned her way into fraud but also manipulated her employees and everyone around her into believing that what she envisioned would come to fruition and be something for the greater good but advertently disregarded those of her peers and employees.

Now this seems to me like Holmes had specific traits that distinguished her from the rest but ultimately not in the best way. While she was a very successful person, to what cost? How far did she go to get her way? An article by Malone (2021) states that Linda Neider, the current chair of the Miami Herbert Business School’s Management Department referenced a Gelsinger article on leadership style in which he notes that a culture must be developed where teams feel comfortable enough to express divergent viewpoints. “Clearly that was not the case at Theranos, where teams were not even allowed to communicate transparently, let alone raise issues that might go against what Holmes hoped to hear.” This is only tell-tale sign of the other side of a good leader.

As I stated before, Holmes was seen as a narcissistic person, amongst other things. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary (n.d.) defines Narcissist as, “an extremely self-centered person who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance.” Being narcissistic is known as one of the dark-side personality traits that leaders tend to possess which in return leads them down this path of failure. Holmes depicted traits of narcissism as well as very masculine mannerisms in all of her interviews and as how she represented her company. And it may get confusing at times because narcissism tends to merge with the traits of the Five Factor Model which are considered to be positive and that of a good leader. The dark-side traits usually only become obvious after a leader has been in the position for a period of time (PSU WC, 2021, L02) which in Holmes’ case became more obvious as she became more engulfed in becoming this powerful CEO billionaire and her finally came to light.

How does one become self-aware that we may be going down the wrong path into a world of no return? I think that we must take a step back and honestly analyze the choices we make as leaders. I always feel like there is a very thin line between being a good leader and a bad one and it only takes a wrong word or move to put you in either of those directions. Holmes steered closer to narcissism and way from self-confidence. Northouse (2019) uses Steve Jobs as an example to identify what self-confidence looked like. It is stated that Jobs was never doubtful of his capabilities, of his products abilities to change the world even if everyone else thought different. Holmes, oddly enough, looked up to Jobs and aspired to be a female version of him but unfortunately she lacked integrity and the traits to make her a successful and valued CEO and leader. She possessed some of Stogdill’s surveyed traits (Drive to exercise initiative in social situations, vigor and persistence in pursuit of goals, to name a few) which ironically enough were identified during a time where male leadership was prevalent (Northouse, 2019) which has me wondering if she too, studied certain leadership traits to fit in to the male dominant society! If only Holmes was able to pinpoint her “dark side” in leadership and have insight of her own personality and how to properly and effectively use her power and influence to do good.

 

 

 

 

References:

-Dunn, T., Thompson, V., & Jarvis, R. (2019). ABC News Network. ABC News. Retrieved October 4, 2021 from

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/theranos-employees-describe-culture-secrecy-elizabeth-holmes-startup/story?id=60544673

-Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Narcissist. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcissist

-Malone, M. (2021). Theranos Trial Highlights The Dark Side of Leadership. Retrieved on October 4, 2021 from

https://news.miami.edu/stories/2021/09/theranos-trial-highlights-the-dark-side-of-leadership.html

-Northouse, P.G. (2019). Leadership. Theory and Practice. Trait Approach. (pp.19-41). Sage Publishing.

-Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2021). PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach. Retrieved from

https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2132629/modules/items/32790516

The Grey Area of Ethics

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The principles of ethics are a vital part of historical values that have grown over time, allowing for safer and more equal work environments. The laws of ethics protect us from sexism, discrimination, disrespect, confidentiality breaches, and are overall concerned with people’s welfare (American Psychological Association, 2017). Although ethical principles of leadership seem very cut and dry, respect others and do no harm, there is an overwhelming grey area. In his article overlooking business characteristics involving ethics, Cremer (2013) suggests that there is a certain level of unethical decision-making that we, the public, often accept as normal. There is no clear definition of this grey area of ethics, and no sound solution on how to close this gap, so it is left to the devices of our subjective moral judgments on how to handle certain ethical situations. Cremer (2013) identifies two business observations: the ability to push limits without exceeding the law, and the lack of responsibility within the grey areas of ethics. According to this, the suggested boundary between ethical and non-ethical is the law and the amount of responsibility there is to take. 

Ethics is concerns with values and morals and how these two components can be added together to safeguard the welfare of others and protect their privacy, dignity, and personal values. Morals are defined as a person’s individual motivation for their behavior in response to what they believe is right and wrong, and a person’s values are what they believe to be personally and socially acceptable (PSU WC, L. 14, 2021). “Business ambition often lies in the extent to which one is willing to push the limits” (Cremer, 2013). How far is a person willing to push the ethical limits of a certain situation to benefit themselves or the organization? More interestingly, how far is too far to push and pull within the grey area of ethics? As Cremer (2013) suggested in his article, the law is the “too far” point, but he also suggests that small slip ups in our ethical principles can soon develop into full-blown misconduct and illegal practices. This grey area is where the expansion of unethical behavior begins as a leader slowly tests the limits until it escalates beyond what is just considered moral injustice (Cremer, 2013).  

When it comes to our morals and values as a human and leader, we often differ from one another. Behavioral studies suggest that if we can rationalize our decisions, we can feel comfortably make them (Cremer, 2013) and this can mean that some rationalizations are more extraordinary than others. Cremer (2013) also claims that business, by default, is a grey area in itself and is often synonymous with this type of self-justifiable decision making. We, the public, automatically assume that many large corporations and enterprises are intertwined with unethical, and sometimes illegal, behaviors but they are often overlooked so long as they are within a certain realm of the grey area. As explained earlier though, it becomes a slippery slope the closer that business gets to stepping outside of that realm. 

Studies have concluded that unethical behavior is more often found in cases where it is rewarded, ignored, or where there were no ethics policies instated to begin with (PSU WC, L. 14, 2021). If what Cremer (2013) states is true, the conclusions in these studies are relative to his proposition that the assumed grey area in the business world is one of the instances in which promotes unethical behavior. One of the weaknesses states for ethics in leadership is that is takes an elevated level of thought and understanding of moral and ethical behavior and few people achieve that level (PSU WC, L. 14, 2021). This lack of ethical education and understanding could be a large contributor to the broadened grey area of ethics, the simplicity of rationalization, and the assumed level of immoral character that is allowed in a setting. 

The deviation from ethical boundaries is a widespread issue that is related to multiple conclusions, phenomena, and behavioral reasoning. Each person differs in their values, morals, judgement, and goals, making the grey area a whirlwind of unethical opportunity with very thin boundaries and low expectations. It can be concluded from behavioral studies and the weaknesses found in this leadership theory that ethical leadership can be attained from education, empathy, and care for the community. The area that divides law and ethics is dangerous to dive into, but it can often be unavoidable in most every profession. It may be the most disturbing to realize that many of these unethical behaviors are promoted and rationalized because until they cross the line of unlawfulness, they are overlooked by officials, and the public is overpowered by money, greed, and ignorance. 

References 

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index 

Cremer, D. D. (2013, June 19). Business ethics: Black, white, or grey? London Business School. https://www.london.edu/think/business-ethics-black-white-or-grey. 

Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2021). PSYCH 485 | Lesson 14: Ethics and Leadership https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2137573/modules/items/32271438 

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