Ethical Leadership

Introduction

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

– Unknown

Organizations today are finding themselves continually struggling with ethical and moral dilemmas as evidenced in the news media. Many organizations have ethics programs in place to satisfy the “gray” areas between economic necessity, legal obligations, environmental responsibilities, and social responsibilities. Also, organizations that have established ethics codes commonly are taken by surprise when ethical dilemmas arise and employees’ behaviors do not meet the desired expectations. How can this paradox possibly occur?

Metaphorically, this scenario is likened to the tale of the three blind men and the elephant, each with their own perspective, none of which is seeing the whole picture, much like espoused theories versus theories-in-use (Senge, 1994). Espoused theories are what individuals assert when describing or trying to justify behaviors, whereas theory-in-use is the actual behavior as determined by observations. Ethics programs often give “situational” codes of conduct to employees; yet when employees are faced with similar dilemmas, observed behavior is somewhat contrary.

Kohlberg’s (1983) ethical dilemma scenarios, which determine an individual’s cognitive moral development (CMD), help to explain one’s espoused theory versus theory-in-use. In other words, Kohlberg’s theory helps to clarify the “why” behind observed behavior. Thus, understanding the “why” behind one’s espoused theory explains more closely what we observe during an individual’s theory-in-use. The context of this book is based upon this basic understanding of human behavior.