L5: Moral Approaches to Leadership Flashcards
(23 cards)
what is the point of Lemoines article on moral approaches to leadership?
to review & clarify the conceptual & empirical overlaps and differences between 3 major moral leaderhsip approaches (ethical, authentic, servant)
what are the 3 main moral leadership approaches?
- ethical
- authentic
- servant
leadership
why do the 3 moral leadership approaches get confused so often?
- these leadership styles often get lumped together in studies, leading to unclear distinctions
- empirical overlap in studies on them
- common outcomes; all 3 styles linked to similar follower outcomes like job satisfactoin, OCB, commitment
- common theory: often explained using same framework
- common composition: measurement tools for these styles often overlap causing construct confusion
what are some differences in moral approaches to leadership?
- more rewards and punishments in EL
- more self awareness & personal growth in AL
- more attention for valued outcomes for multiple stakeholders in SL
overall they all have highly ethical behaviour
what are the key focuses of ethical vs authentic vs servant leadership
- ethical: compliance w moral norms & rule following
- authentic: self awarness, internal moral compass
- servant: stakeholder well being, serving others
what are the moral foundations of ethical vs authentic vs servant leadership
- ethical: deontology (duty/norms), norms (right vs wrong)
- authentic: character/virtue ethics (who you are)
- servant: consequentialism, outcomes (who benefits)
define ethical leadership
the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions & interpersonal relationsihps and the promotion of such conduct to followers through 2 way communication, reinforcement, and decision making
what are the key characteristics of - ethical leadership?
- focus on compliance w ethical standards & normative expectations
- what is right or wrong depends on how behaviour is aligned w established rules, norms, and ideas of justice
- developed qualitatively: primarily motive for acting ethically was to prevent scandals, lawsuits, and negative publicitiy within their org
- whats considered ethical can depend on the org, culture, or situation, and ppl may interpret it differently
- Enforces standards through rewards/punishments: reward ethical actions, hold misbehaviour accountable
- ethical leadership means being a role model, treating others fairly, being accountable, and promoting good behaviour at work
- Values fairness and transparency
- ethical leaders are fair & honest w their team & show the right behaviour by example
define authentic leadership
- authentic and transparent expression, and action in concordance w beliefs
- an authentic leaders makes decisions independent of external expectations but rather based on their own moral compass
- its about being true to yourself, leading w honesty & values, and building trsut by staying consistent and transparent
how does authentic leadership have a virtue focus?
- morality here is about the character of the leader, not just following rules or focusing on outcomes
- it asks, “what kind of person should i be?” instead of “what rule should i follow?” or “what will give the best result?”
- authetnci leaders focus on developing good character (virtues like honesty, kindness, compassion, courage, patience) & making decision that align w their core values
what are the key characteristics of authentic leadership?
- Emphasizes self-awareness and integrity
- Values consistency between beliefs and actions
- Transparent and morally grounded in personal values
what is servant leadership?
- Focuses on followers’ growth and community welfare
- Empowers others, places their needs first and help them grow
- goes beyond just employees or the company to also care about customers & communities
- for employees, it supports work life balance, and positive values based workplace
- lead w empathy & care
- a consequentalist focus
- Prioritizes broader stakeholder outcomes
how does servant leadership have a consequentailist focus?
- an action is moral if it helps make the world better
- we judge actions by their outcomes, not by rules or personal gain
- what matters most is the result - doing what creates the most good/happiness for the most ppl (utilitarianism)
- even actions we usually see as wrong, like lying/stealing, might be seen as okay if they lead to a better outcome for many ppl
what is the main purpose of Akderes study on transformational leadership?
To empirically test how transformational leadership (TL) influences human resource development (HRD) culture, and how that in turn impacts employee job satisfaction and customer satisfaction (a proxy for org performance).
what is HRD culture
human resource development culture
an org wide environment that promotes employee learning & performance
what does the value chain model posit?
leadership -> support for learning & performance -> HRD culture -> employee & customer satisfaction
what were Akderes main findings on TL influence on HRD culture?
- TL positively impacts HRD culture
- HRD culture drives employee job satisfaction & customer satisfaction
- empirical validation of HRD value chain: TL -> support for learning & performance -> HRD culture -> job satisfaction -> customer satisfaction
what did Liao study on servant leadership?
what does servant leadership do to the leaders themselves?
how did Liao study the effect of servant leadership on the leader themselves?
- 2 daily diary studies w working managers over several days
- measured daily servant leadership, psych depletion, and laissez faire leadership
- also measured perspective taking as a moderator
what were Liaos key findings on servant leadership?
- servant leadership can be draining (but not for everyone), if low in perspective taking then its draining, if high then find it energizing
- depletion -> laissez faire leadership: when leaders feel drained from SL, more likely to “check out” the next day through LFL
- perspective taking = key moderator: low PT -> servant leadership = burnout -> next day withdrawal; high PT -> servant leadership = energizing -> continued engagement
why can servant leadership be draining (but not for everyone)?
Serving others requires self-control: suppressing self-interest, giving attention, managing emotions.
Leaders can feel mentally depleted after acting as servant leaders—but only if they’re low in perspective taking.
Leaders high in perspective taking (able to empathize) often find servant leadership energizing, not exhausting.
what is the theoretical backbone of Liaos reserach on servant leaderships effects on the leaders themselves?
resource allocation theory:
self control is a finite resource, serving others draws from that pool, once depleted -> passivity or burnout ensues (unless mitigated by skill or motivation)
what are the 3 major approaches to normative ethics?
- deontology: the study of duty (ethical leadership)
- consequentialism: rightness of actions is determined by outcomes (servant leadership)
- virtue ethics: living a life that reflects virtuous qualities (authentic leadership)
