Ethical leadership remains as one of the critical aspects of significant consideration in seeking to create workplace employment that is supportive of its workers from a holistic point of view. Embracing ethical leadership is reflective of the need for having to create an environment in which leaders understand the importance of having to build respect for moral beliefs and values. In every aspect of moral leadership, it is essential to engage in an adequate assessment of the leaders to determine whether their actions match what is expected of them from an ethical point of view. However, it is essential to note the fact that the assessment of these leaders as part of evaluating their ability to maintain ethics in leadership often creates dilemmas. It is from this perspective that this report seeks to examine some of the critical difficulties that are likely to result from the assessment of ethical leadership.
Assessment of Ethical Leadership When Creating Enthusiasm
When a leader intends to create enthusiasm as followers are engaging in a risky strategy or project, dilemmas are likely to arise as part of the ethical leadership approach. The central difficulty that is likely to occur as part of the assessment of ethical leadership is on influencing expectations. Shapiro & Stefkovich (2016) indicate that one of the critical challenges that ethical leaders are likely to encounter in their bid towards seeking to create enthusiasm revolves around providing those involved in projects with an accurate representation of outcomes. From an ethical point of view, the leaders are likely to fail the moral test considering that they are likely to make false promises that they know or understand cannot be achieved within a set-out timeline or depending on the nature of the project.
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The dilemma arises in trying to balance the need for having to promote enthusiasm among all the persons involved in the project and having to remain truthful in the information that persons receive from the project. Ethical leadership is built based on honesty and trust; thus, meaning that leaders that consider themselves as being ethical must always seek to remain truthful in the information that they provide to their followers (Eisenbeiss, 2012). However, it is essential to consider the fact that these leaders are expected to be involved in a project or strategy that is risky, which is a factor that may affect the enthusiasm of those involved. Consequently, this creates a high likelihood of leaders not provide accurate information concerning the expected outcomes of the project or strategy in question.
Assessment of Ethical Leadership When Inducing Followers to Change
In a scenario where a leader needs to induce his or her followers towards changing their beliefs and values in seeking to accomplish set goals, the dilemma can be seen from the leader tries to influence values and beliefs. As an ethical leader, one is expected to respect the values and beliefs that others may have while attempting to ensure that their rights and dignity are protected regardless of the differentiation in views or opinion (Tutar, Altınöz, & Çakıroğlu, 2011). From a leadership perspective, one is expected to ensure that his or her followers focus their attention on the organizational goals, which critical determinants of success. In such cases, ethical leaders often find themselves facing a dilemma on whether tamper with the beliefs and values that their followers hold concerning their abilities to perform effectively. Sama & Shoaf (2008) indicate that it is unethical for a leader to change his or her follower’s values and beliefs regardless of the underlying benefits that this is likely to have for the organization. From an ethical leadership perspective, this can be quantified as a dilemma that affects and influences the decisions that the moral leader is expected to make.
Assessment of Ethical Leadership When Influencing Decisions
In a scenario where a leader intends to influence decisions that are likely to benefit some persons at the expense of others, the dilemma can be associated with multiple stakeholders and competing values. When dealing with various stakeholders, one of the key aspects to note is that a leader is often likely to face a situation where interests tend to vary, which, in itself, creates a high possibility of a dilemma. Hannah, Avolio, & Walumbwa (2011) indicate that an ethical leader is always expected to make high levels of integrity when making decisions, which means that he or she would seek to ensure that the decisions made an impact on all stakeholders equally. However, this only creates a dilemma taking into account that stakeholders often have competing values; thus, meaning that the leader is likely to decide to impact the stakeholders differently. Serving conflicting interests of stakeholders creates a dilemma that reflects more on the fact that a leader finds it hard when seeking to make decisions that can be considered as being ethical (Kalshoven, Den Hartog, & De Hoogh, 2013). Consequently, this points to the fact that a moral leader in this scenario is likely to find him or herself facing a severe dilemma considering that he or she is expected to make the decision that is likely to benefit some of the persons while ignoring the expectations of the others.
References
Eisenbeiss, S. A. (2012). Re-thinking ethical leadership: An interdisciplinary, integrative approach. The Leadership Quarterly , 23 (5), 791-808.
Hannah, S. T., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2011). Relationships between authentic leadership, moral courage, and ethical and pro-social behaviors. Business Ethics Quarterly , 21 (4), 555-578.
Kalshoven, K., Den Hartog, D. N., & De Hoogh, A. H. (2013). Ethical leadership and follower helping and courtesy: Moral awareness and empathic concern as moderators. Applied Psychology , 62 (2), 211-235.
Sama, L. M., & Shoaf, V. (2008). Ethical leadership for the professions: Fostering a moral community. Journal of Business Ethics , 78 (1-2), 39-46.
Shapiro, J. P., & Stefkovich, J. A. (2016). Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas . Routledge.
Tutar, H., Altınöz, M., & Çakıroğlu, D. (2011). Are ethical leadership and strategic leadership a dilemma? A descriptive survey. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences , 24 , 1378-1388.
