Other Leadership Perspectives

This text will show you the multiple ways that leadership has been studied. Most of these perspectives are more contemporary viewpoints. We have previously looked at how the workforce is changing and considered the constantly changing business environment. We also want to consider leadership in different contexts. This text will briefly review emotional, interactive, moral, servant, shared, and e-leadership.

Moral Leadership

Ethical or moral leadership demonstrates responsibility for doing what is right.


LEARNING OBJECTIVE

  • Apply ethical standards to leadership perspectives, explaining the relevance of integrity and responsibility to leadership


KEY POINTS

    • Ethical or moral leadership involves leading in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of others.
    • The duties of leaders also include the responsibility to ensure standards of moral and ethical conduct.
    • An effective leader influences a subordinate's attitude and values. Therefore, a moral leader will stimulate a moral influence.
    • The best leaders make known their values and ethics and reflect them in their leadership styles and actions.

TERM

  • moral

    Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior, especially for teaching right behavior.


Moral or ethical leadership involves the commitment to doing what is right according to societal and cultural beliefs and values about acceptable behavior. Ethical leaders distinguish themselves by making decisions in the service of long-term benefits that may be inconvenient, unpopular, and even unprofitable in the short-term. Moral leaders have a clear understanding of their own values and hold themselves accountable for them. Leaders who are ethical demonstrate a level of integrity that emphasizes their trustworthiness, and this trust enables followers to accept the leader's vision.

Moral leadership means making decisions that respect the rights and dignity of others. Moral leaders consider the viewpoints and needs of all who have an interest in a decision's outcomes, rather than simply the most powerful. In this way, moral leaders use their own power to convince others of the rightness of their choices.

Nelson Mandela, a respected moral leader Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, is an example of moral leadership. Mandela fought to end apartheid and establish equality in his country.

Moral leadership is important for protecting an organization's reputation. The ethics leaders exhibit reflects on their organizations, as well on themselves. Acting ethically preserves an organization's legitimacy as it uses societal resources to achieve its aims.

Moral leadership goes beyond doing what is legal. Laws establish clear boundaries of what is acceptable, but ethics often involves more ambiguous questions. These dilemmas are where the judgment of a leader comes into play. The personal character of leaders influences their ability and willingness to act on moral principles. Moral leaders gain the respect of followers, who are then more likely to identify with their leaders and the goals they set.

Moral leaders also play an important role in communicating an organization's values. They do this as role models of ethical behavior and in how they speak about the moral dimension of their decisions and actions. In this way, moral leaders take responsibility for the moral climate in their organizations and help others understand, share, and act in accordance with those values.