Leadership Ethics

Comparison Matrix Paper: Leadership Ethics

 Marco C. Conners

        Grand Canyon University

LDR 800, Ethical Dilemmas and Stewardship

May 16, 2012

Introduction

This paper compares three studies on ethical leadership.  The first study, Implementing Ethical Leadership: Current Challenges and Solutions (Thompson, K. J., Thach, E. C., & Morelli, M. 2010), explores the connection between organizational policy and leaders’ ethical behavior. The second study, Ethics and Leadership: Enablers and Stumbling Blocks (April, K., Peters, K., Locke, K., & Mlambo, C. 2010), explores the impact of ethical dilemmas on leadership behavior. The third study, Demonstrating Ethical Leadership by Measuring Ethics (Kaptein, M., Huberts, L., Avelino, S., & Lasthuizen, K. 2005), examines the value of using surveys to encourage leadership ethics.

The purpose of these three studies focus on the influence of organizational ethics on leaders, and explores how leaders can learn to use surveys to recognize ethical dilemmas and resolve them in an appropriate manner.  The study by Thompson, et al. (2010), quantitatively examines the ethical conduct of leaders, and the influence that organizational ethics and trends have on those leaders.  The second study by April, et al. (2010), quantitatively explores obstacles that prevent leaders from acting with integrity and ethical certitude.  The third study by Kaptein, et al. (2005), quantitatively investigates using surveys for gauging leader’s ethics in organizational settings.

The importance of the studies by Thompson, et al. (2010) and April, et al. (2010), is that they add to the body or research while seeking to identify ways to educate leaders to  recognize unethical acts so they can learn to model appropriate ethical behavior.  Further, April et al. (2010) strives to establish the correlation between ethical decision-making and obstacles that hinder that process.  The study Kaptein, et al. (2005) is important as the authors seek to identify tools, such as surveys, that can assist leaders in understanding the ethical challenges that exist in their organizations and methods to resolve those dilemmas.  

Research Questions

A comparison of research questions presented by Thompson, et al. (2010), April, et al. (2010), and Kaptein, et al. (2005) demonstrated similarities by seeking to understand ethical decision-making and the tools, methods, or education that leaders and organizations could acquire to facilitate appropriate ethical decisions. The research questions by Thompson, et al. (2010), explored the connection between ethical climate, leaders’ ethical behavior, and their ethical transgressions.  Conversely, April, et al. (2010) studied the obstacles that prevent leaders from behaving in an ethical manner, and ways they could improve ethical living.  Similarly, Kaptein, et al. (2005) sought to understand the trends and practices that influence ethical decision-making, and if surveys could serve as an ethical tool for identifying and preventing unethical behavior.