Abstract
Leadership is a combination of qualities that any individual can inculcate, but a true leader is known by how he or she may use ethics to solve professional and personal dilemmas that they face in their day to day life. Ethical dilemmas are, in a manner, the measuring gauges of a person’s perspective of things and their ability to show leadership qualities in the chores they undertake. Following is a discussion on the topic of ethical dilemmas that a leader must face to demonstrate leadership.
Introduction
Time and again it has been observed that leadership is a virtue that cannot be tapped from a person’s genes or handed down through generations. It cannot be warranted as a degree or certificate from any leadership school or university, although an individual may gain valuable experience of it from the rigors of curriculums that such institutions provide. One becomes a leader by intention no matter where the source of inspiration may be drawn from; it is a process of growth that has to be lived out as a firsthand experience.
According to McCoy (2007) “One must have the will to say “yes” and even “no’ to an unending series of tests, large and small, each demanding that we take one more step toward a definition of all who we are.”
The one who aspires to be a leader should be ready to express their values, character, and the style of leadership they pursue. For leaders who are persistent and strong, the process of growth and adaptation never ends, it becomes a form of lifestyle, not just in the business they do, but in families, communities, and the scenario they live in. Ethics is at the core of leadership. In fact, ethics and leadership should always go hand in hand. Many books on leadership and the ethical challenges involved with leadership use the analogy of heroes and antiheroes in discussions on how leaders attempt to bring about change. The authority that comes with being a leader can be used in good as well as bad ways. If leadership is to be assumed to be beneficial, then ethical burdens should be brought into consideration as well. While making an ethical decision, a leader is expected to create a solution that is justifiable. Indeed “ethical mistakes are responsible for ending careers more quickly and more definitively than any other errors in judgment or accounting” (Osland, Kolb, & Rubin, 2001, p. 102). By looking at even these recent examples, the need for ethics in leadership becomes obvious.
Discussion
The general understanding of ethics should be initiated with a deep analysis of values and doctrines of conduct at both individual and organizational levels. Influential leaders and effective managers need to be aware of their values and morals; and should be aware of system of ethics and methods followed for ethical decision making. Integrity and good character are highly sought after values in a leader. It has been identified in researches that honesty is the most regarded characteristic that is identified by leaders (Kouzes and Posner, 2007).
Ethical dilemmas happen when significant values conflict with each other and the leader who is supposed to make the decision must choose between these conflicting values. Assuming that both of these values are very important, for example success and honesty, a leader must be able to assign priorities to the values and decide which one must take precedence over another. Effort should be made to maintain and preserve a careful balance to make the most of both of these values to avoid making a decision that is unethical. A commonly quoted example from a business perspective is the utilization of dishonest occupational practices for financial and materialistic gains. In the same manner a sportsperson may face the dilemma of seeking unfair benefits in order to “win” a competition. This scenario is known as getting things done by hook or by crook. Both business and sports requires a that a goal is achieved by winning over the competition and gaining a strategic advantage, sometimes using unfair means. No matter what the situation may be, business, sports or any venture that requires leadership, ethics may prove that “winning at all costs” attitude may be the root cause of most of the unethical behavior.
For many years, corporate America has been marred by unethical decision making and scandalous behavior (Mullane, 2009). Some examples include Ford causing defect in Pinto’s gas tank, false advertisements aired by Nutri-System and Jenny Craig, fraudulent and illegal cash swindling by E. F. Hutton, Salomon Brothers’ Treasury auction scandal, Enron’s false accounting schemes, embezzling money by the Tyco managers, and mutual fund exploits by Morgan Stanley. Sports industry has certainly been no exception to scandals and decision making that was out of order, not to mention the never-ending attention on steroid use and unfitting behavior of famous professional athletes.
Complicating things further, ethical dilemmas frequently include multiple individuals who would be affected by the decision ultimately, and the final conclusion is tarnished by indecision. Hitt (1990) offered the idea of creating a “right good” decision situation, where those decisions are considered that are “right ethically” and “good” economically. If leaders make appropriate efforts, they can come upon a decision that may fit into both these categories. While unethical decisions made by the leader may seem to work in a short term perspective, honesty and integrity are necessary for the long term success of our leaders ultimately.
Kidder (2005) has offered two categorize of ethical dilemmas. The first type of dilemma is “right versus wrong”, in which ethical issues arise when an essential moral value is violated or overlooked. For example, if honesty is an essential value for one person, and a different person is found to have acted dishonestly, the first person generally approves that the action of the second person was unethical. In other words, ethics is simply the difference between right and wrong. The second type of dilemma discusses a right versus right dilemma. In fact, in real life ethical issues arise when two central moral values come in conflict with one another. This happens when one core value raises strong arguments favoring one course of action, while another core value raises an equally intense argument favoring a completely opposite course of action. In such a situation a leader must choose one of the actions as both cannot be done at the same time. This presents a scenario of “right versus right”.
There are four paradigms of dilemmas. The first paradigm is of “truth versus loyalty”, in which honesty or integrity conflicts with responsibility, or commitment. In the second paradigm justice conflicts with mercy; fair-mindedness, evenhandedness, and equality in application of the law conflict with sympathy and care. The third paradigm “individual versus community” points to a scenario of one versus many, or a small group versus a larger group. And the fourth and final paradigm is the “short term versus long term” that deals with instant needs versus future ones.
Employees choose their work environments based on their ethical preferences and the connections of their values and those of their workplace. There must be a connection between a sound value system and the ability of the leader to use these values in his/her decision making.
The Josephson Institute’s (2009) introduces the concept of “Six Pillars of Character” that may be applied to any situation. The six pillars are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. These may be subdivided as
Trustworthiness includes being honest, reliable, loyal, keeping promises and being undeceiving. Respecting people includes treating others as you wish to be treated by them, being courteous, listening to what others say, and accepting personal differences. Responsibility includes accountability, self-control, the quest of brilliance, and keeping consequences under consideration of our actions before they are committed. Fairness means playing by the rules, not taking undue advantage of others, making learned decisions without any form of prejudice, and being non-accusing. Caring means compassion, and altruism, striving to minimize hardships and to be a helping hand to others whenever possible. Citizenship is working to make one’s community better, protecting the environment, making democratic administrations work, and working within the law
Keeping in the perspective of virtues or principles, if leaders, administrators, and executives obeyed the six pillars in every day decision making, a highly ethical environment may be created, and as a consequence, their subordinates may follow suit. Once created, an ethical environment is develops trust in between the employees and management. Good leaders gather trust and trust may be developed in many ways but most essentially through the act of leading by example. Leaders must do things ethically consistently in pure and complete view for their subordinates to see. Clearness is crucial to create an ethically correct environment.
The question is what makes leaders abandon their ethical path? Many leaders, the ones in important positions in particular, are fitted out with a good educational background and presumably basic knowledge of differences between what is right and what is wrong. Still, when faced with challenges that are ethical in nature, they may possess the knowledge of what the “right” course of action is, but instead do what is wrong entirely. The six pillars of character are “tossed out the window.”
In such a situation there is a need for “moral courage” while making difficult decisions. A leader’s explanation of moral courage is the juncture of three concepts: application of innate values, recognition of the risks, and preparing to endure the hardships that may follow. Enduring the hardships is the perseverance described in the concept of moral courage. A leader must be willing to show perseverance and stick to what is “right” and ignore interferences, defective justifications.
For leaders to be able to find solutions to ethical dilemmas at their workplace there must exist written guidelines in the form of codes of conduct. A code of conduct is proposed to guide and be a reference for its users for day-to-day decision making. These guidelines are meant to elucidate an organization's goals and principles and link them to the values of professional performance. These codes also act as a reference to help locate assets linked to ethics within the organization. It must be noted that a code of ethics provides standards of behavior, not a list of guidelines. Code of ethics should be based on entirely upon organizational values and the goals of the organization. However, these codes require commitment from the company’s leaders, and must speak for the needs of the various constituents of the organization. It must be treated like an open disclosure for the methods of working of an organization. A rightly setup and thoughtfully written code also aids in important communications that may reflect the agreement that an organization makes to uphold its most essential values, in matters like commitments to employees, standards for business ethics and the relationship the organization has with the community (Driscoll & Hoffman, 2000). A code is also needed as an encouragement of discussions of ethics and improving how employees deal with the ethical dilemmas and prejudices encountered in everyday work. It must complement relevant standards and policies and not substitute them. Codes of conduct provide an exceptional opportunity for organizations to create a positive outlook in the public, which may lead to a more supportive and regulatory setting. An increased level of confidence in the public and trust among important constituencies and stakeholders is always beneficial for every organization.
Ethics training is another great way for companies and organizations to create ethically efficient leaders. It has been used extensively and effectively (McCoy, 2007). Although there may be the possibility that some members of the organization might deny from the taking “ethics” training, such training may create a more creative and less competitive environment. To cope with employees shying away from such training less intimidating titles could be used instead. For training to be an effective tool, like the codes of conduct, the leadership of the organization must commit to participate and accept such programs. It should be made sure that employees attend, and participate openly in putting together ethics programs. Another great way to encourage such training is adding it to the company’s goals and code of ethics, but should be hands on in nature. Outside organizers may be brought in to help with impartiality and efficacy of such programs.
Conclusion
Ethical issues and dilemmas come to every leader, and a leader must put all their competitiveness and moral values into making decisions on such issues. It is true that a mid-way solution is not possible at all times. However, win-win situations are harder to achieve, and that must be kept in mind at all times. The ideal solution to promote ethical behavior is not disciplinary; it is a positive approach by leaders. Ethical conduct should be used by leaders and molded according to the needs of their subordinates. Moreover, such decision making should be recognized and rewarded. Ethics and leadership go together. Returning to the philosophy of ethics as way of life is a step that everyone must take to grow and prosper in their lives.
References
Ciulla, J. B (1998). Ethics, the Heart of Leadership. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Driscoll, D. M. & Hoffman, W. M. (2000). Ethics matters: How to implement values-driven management. Waltham, MA: Center for Business Ethics.
Hitt, W. D. (1990). Ethics and Leadership. Columbus, OH: Batelle.
Josephson Institute (2009). The six pillars of character. Retrieved February 25, 2009 from http:charactercounts.org/sixpillars.html.
Kidder, R. M. (2005). Moral courage. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. (2007). The Leadership Challenge. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
McCoy, B. H. (2007). Living into Leadership. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN: 9780804755764
Mullane, Susan P. (2009). Ethics and Leadership. University of Miami, White Paper Series
Osland, J. S., Kolb, D. A., & Rubin, I. M. (2001). Organizational behavior: An experimental approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
