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What Does Ethics Have to do with Leadership?

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  • Michael Levine
  • Jacqueline Boaks

Abstract

Accounts of leadership in relation to ethics can and do go wrong in several ways that may lead us too quickly into thinking there is a tighter relationship between ethics and leadership than we have reason to believe. Firstly, these accounts can be misled by the centrality of values talk in recent discussions of leadership into thinking that values of a particular kind are sufficient for leadership. Secondly, the focus on character in recent leadership accounts can lead to a similar error. The assumption here is that because good character is often a locus of descriptions of leaders, such character is necessary and sufficient for leadership. Thirdly, we can fall victim to an observer bias that colors our accounts of the leaders we admire and thus wish to either have or be, which in turn leads to the fourth way in which accounts of leadership can go wrong in their description of the role of ethics in leadership. Through inattention or through wishful thinking accounts of leadership can become merely prescriptive and stipulate that ethics is requisite and at least partly constitutive of leadership. Keeping in mind these ways in which accounts of leadership commonly go astray, we can say that any adequate account of leadership must, at least in the first instance, be able to differentiate not only between leadership and good ethical character, but also between leadership and power, authority, influence, managerial ability, and charisma. Taking a closer look at some of the ways that the relation between leadership and ethics is misconstrued is necessary to better understanding both leadership and its connection to ethics. It is, however, just a first step. Asking whether we have reason to think of leadership as an Aristotelian virtue should, we think, enable us to give a more accurate and useful account of the complexity of the relation. It also captures underlying reasons for wanting to see the two as intrinsically connected. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Levine & Jacqueline Boaks, 2014. "What Does Ethics Have to do with Leadership?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(2), pages 225-242, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:124:y:2014:i:2:p:225-242
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1807-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. James Avey & Tara Wernsing & Michael Palanski, 2012. "Exploring the Process of Ethical Leadership: The Mediating Role of Employee Voice and Psychological Ownership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(1), pages 21-34, April.
    2. Ciulla, Joanne B., 1995. "Leadership Ethics: Mapping the Territory," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(1), pages 5-28, January.
    3. Deanne Hartog & Frank Belschak, 2012. "Work Engagement and Machiavellianism in the Ethical Leadership Process," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(1), pages 35-47, April.
    4. Ali Ünal & Danielle Warren & Chao Chen, 2012. "The Normative Foundations of Unethical Supervision in Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(1), pages 5-19, April.
    5. Chase Thiel & Zhanna Bagdasarov & Lauren Harkrider & James Johnson & Michael Mumford, 2012. "Leader Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations: Strategies for Sensemaking," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(1), pages 49-64, April.
    6. Dawn Eubanks & Andrew Brown & Sierk Ybema, 2012. "Leadership, Identity, and Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(1), pages 1-3, April.
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    3. Jacqueline C. Wisler, 2018. "U.S. CEOs of SBUs in Luxury Goods Organizations: A Mixed Methods Comparison of Ethical Decision-Making Profiles," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 443-518, May.
    4. Áron Perényi & Christopher Selvarajah & Janusz Tanas & Zuzana Tučková & Anna Odrowaz-Coates & Brigitta Tóth-Bozó & Martina Minarova, 2020. "Exploring Ethical Business in Central Europe: Leaders’ Values and Perspectives on Good Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-30, January.
    5. Christian Garmann Johnsen, 2018. "Authenticating the Leader: Why Bill George Believes that a Moral Compass Would Have Kept Jeffrey Skilling out of Jail," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 53-63, January.
    6. Toby Newstead & Sarah Dawkins & Rob Macklin & Angela Martin, 2020. "The Virtues Project: An Approach to Developing Good Leaders," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(4), pages 605-622, December.
    7. Zhining Wang & Shuang Ren & Doren Chadee & Yuhang Chen, 2024. "Employee Ethical Silence Under Exploitative Leadership: The Roles of Work Meaningfulness and Moral Potency," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(1), pages 59-76, February.

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