Ethical leadership

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer a review of the selected literature in ethical leadership synthesizing findings from 45 articles selected from journals on leadership, public administration, organizational behavior, psychology and ethics. Design/methodology/approach Four themes are addressed: the conceptualization of ethical leadership theories, the existence of popular measurement instruments for ethical leadership, findings on ethical leadership in the public sector and outcomes of ethical leadership in terms of benefits and negative consequences. Findings The definition by Brown et al. (2005) is the most frequently used definition, even though recent criticism states that this definition may be too narrow. Ethical leadership is usually measured by means of a survey; however, there are at least three different questionnaires in use. In the public sector, ethical leadership has been linked to both positive outcomes and negative consequences. Research limitations/implications This paper only includes selected academic articles and does not include published books. Originality/value Based on our findings, the authors present recommendations for future research, among others into a broader conceptualization of ethical leadership and the use of mixed methods.

Thematic Paper on Ethics in Higher Business Education - Educational Design Research Need

“…Educational design research appears to present a structured approach on judging business ethical dilemmas. It is advised to prepare students by making use of questionnaires based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, 90 and Broad Ethical Leadership (BELS), 91 for seeding awareness and increasing effectiveness of educational interventions. Prior to dilemma-analysis, addressing theories regarding virtues in connection to worldviews is recommended.…”

“…By means of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). In the TPB, students are recognised, motivated, by means of making them aware of their needs regarding business ethics, 53 and learning ethical tools, 54 and 4. Students' willingness to realise their personal learning effect or result.…”

“…Ethical leadership is the implicit and explicit pursuit of desired ethical behaviour for self and followers through efforts governed by rules and principles that advocate learning motivation, healthy optimism and clarity of purpose to uphold the values of empowerment, service to others, concern for human rights, change for betterment and fulfilling duty towards society, future generations, and the environment and its sustainability. 64 Pearce II addresses: 'Improving ethical judgment in business has been a "front burner" issue for several decades. Yet executives continue to encounter decisions by their managers that are inconsistent with local laws, or with the expressed ethical values of the organisation they are part of.…”

“…A prerequisite could be to use first both the questionnaires on Theory of Planned Behaviour, 67 in relation to ethics, and Broad Ethical Leadership Scale (BELS), 68 in relation to leadership. By doing so seeds students' awareness and willingness to participate in a higher education business ethical dilemma solving programme.…”

The dark side of leadership: How ineffective training and poor ethics education trigger unethical behavior?

“…Leadership development initiatives and programs in organizations have a crucial influence on culture, productivity, growth, market share, and profits ( Hurt and Homan, 2005 ). Moreover, ethical awareness and the skills that enable leaders in all organizational settings to deal with complex ethical decision-making processes are at the core of current scholarly discussions ( Shakeel et al, 2019 ). Hence, training and educating public sector companies’ leaders to be able to address the increasing ethical implications of their decisions is as important as preparing them with technical and managerial skills.…”