HRMAJ CONFERENCE 2010�‘Winning Through Transformational Leadership’

‘Ethical leadership as a foundation for national growth’

Blossom O’Meally-Nelson

THE ORIGINS OF ETHICAL BAHAVIOUR

• Ethics – moral principles or code
• Moral – concerned with right or wrong, duty to one’s neighbour, practicing virtue, justified by conscience if not law.
• Animals are social beings and all seem in some rudimentary way to exhibit types of behaviour that allow them to live in social groupings, reproduce and nurture their young.
• Ants for example, have been seen to engage in altruistic behaviour, so have dolphins and whales.
• There are some who believe that the capacity for ethical behaviour is a normal part of the evolution of the species.

THE ORIGINS OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR

• Is there a type of race consciousness that programmes such behaviour?
• Notwithstanding brain programming, research shows that our moral behaviour is rooted in early training, usually in a family setting, where parental principles shape the development of our conscience or ‘super ego’.
• A fully functioning conscience can only come into play when we are able to grow past the ‘id’ (the child) that is our basic impulses and our ‘ego’ that is the developing self consciousness and be integrated into a whole fully functioning person where the id, the ego and the superego operate in full balance.

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THE FUNCTIONS OF OUR CONSCIENCE

• Persons who display pathological behaviour often have no conscience, e.g. serial killers, criminals who show no remorse.
• Our conscience serves as an internal map that guides our personal behaviour.
• We refer to our conscience whenever we have to make choices that may not be clear, for example in situations where there is no clear line between right and wrong.
• When being guided by our conscience we may find that we deviate from the group in terms of our decisions and actions.
• Our religious beliefs and our philosophy of life have a powerful impact on the sensitivity of our conscience

WHAT IS ETHICAL LEADERSHIP?

• The theoretical framework for ethical leadership is not well developed, although references go as far back as Plato and Aristotle
• Such ethical theories as exist center around CONDUCT and CHARACTER
• CONDUCT --> Consequences (Theological Theories)
• Ethical egoism for the good of the immediate group
• Utilitarianism for the good of the society
• Duty (Deontological Theories) the concept of ‘ought’
• CHARACTER 🡪 Virtue – based Theories

WHAT IS ETHICAL LEADERSHIP?

• Interest in ethical leadership has picked up since the nineties as business ethics has become a key factor in the development of the new international business arena
• Many of the issues related to the international economic crisis are related to ethical /unethical behaviour
• Ethical leadership is concerned with the leader’s behaviour, his ‘virtuousness’, whether what he does is ‘right or wrong’, ‘good or bad’ in a particular situation.
• Is the leader a morally decent human being, acting in the best interest of the group?
• Are there gender differences in ethical leadership

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MORAL DECLINE A REALITY?

• In Jamaica today there is much concern about moral decline among our leaders, about what seems to be the abandonment of ethical principles
• The argument could be made that this has always been so but that there are greater opportunities for cover-up
• Although there are greater moral freedoms to day e.g. sexual behaviour, patterns of marriage, dress codes there are still expectations of high standards of behaviour for those in public life.
• The media has changed the landscape in relation to ethical practices and access to information

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PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

• There are five principles of ethical leadership –
• Respect for others - willingness to let others voice their opinions have the right to human dignity
• Service - willingness to lead, to give back of one’s talents and experience for the good of others
• Justice – commitment to fair play, seeking the truth in individual situations
• Honesty – consistency in speech and action, preserving the rights of others
• Community – commitment to the good of the whole, strengthening unity and tolerance

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ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR OF LEADERS�The Political Imperative�

• Political leaders are driven by
• the need to have power and authority over others
• The need to exclude and dis-empower those of opposing views
• The need to maintain and strengthen their political group
• Very often there is conflict between the political imperative and the ethical belief (conscience) of the leader. The leader’s moral strength will determine his response.

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ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR OF LEADERS�The Political Imperative�

• If the leader fails to act in the best political interest he/she will be sanctioned by the group
• Signs of ‘weakness’ will give ascendancy to the opposing political group
• The irony is that the opposing political group can use perceived unethical behaviour as leverage for turning voters against a particular political party
• Very rarely political leaders display true statesmanship/character and hold to their ethical beliefs even in the face of political fall out
• Consider Winston Churchill/NormanManley

ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR OF LEADERS�The Social Imperative

• A leader’s self concept is closely entwined with how society views him and his ability to hold his place on page two, to be among the 100 most invited.
• The need to maintain one’s social standing may require ‘a bending of the rules’, ‘turning a blind eye’, ‘not rocking the boat’
• Taking a strong ethical position on critical issues may mean that you are ’not playing ball’ and you may have to face the consequences
• The temptation is for us to use a type of instrumental morality where the ends justify the means – why should we sacrifice our selves when nobody else is doing it?

ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR OF LEADERS�The Economic Imperative

• Leaders above all need to be seen as economically successful, unless of course you are Ghandhi
• Success in business is a challenge to ethical behaviour as the motivation is to protect and preserve one’s assets
• Leaders may be part of a consortium of persons that take a particular decision that is far from ethical
• The economic imperative poses a continuous ethical dilemma that can only be resolved through character and a functional philosophy of life

SOCIAL IMPACT OF UNETHICAL LEADERSHIP

• Loss of faith in leadership
• Anarchical tendencies – everyman for himself
• Adoption of new negative role models
• Rise of new sub-cultural forms of expression
• Public indiscipline
• Youth delinquency
• Crime and Violence
• Decline in professionalism

WHAT’S TO BE DONE?

• Strengthen grass roots leadership and watchdog groups
• Promote free media to uphold ethical standards
• Target schools at all levels to educate youth on what standards make for a just and equitable society
• Encourage activism
• Encourage public dialogue
• Reward and highlight positive role models at all levels

ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR A LEADER’S PERSONAL CHOICE

• ‘It is only with the heart that we see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye’ Antoine de St. Exupery
• ‘A hundred time every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend upon the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received’ Albert Einstein
• ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy’ Martin Luther King