Between Morality And Personality: Integrating Ethical And Psychological Perspectives On Leadership

This article proposes an integrative theoretical analysis of the moral and psychological leadership fundamentals, building on the assumptions of two referrals papers: "Ethical Leadership: A Review and Future Directions" (Brown & Trevino, 2006) and "What We Know About Leadership" (Hogan & Kaiser, 2005). The research compares the two major perspectives on leadership - the ethical one, based on normative behavior and moral influence, and the other one, psychological, building on personality and social adaptation – in order to emphasize their complementarity in explaining and understanding effective leadership. While ethical leadership focuses on the way in which leaders influence organizational moral behaviour through their personal example, communication, and normative reinforcement, the theory of Hogan and Kaier explains why certain personality traits (like emotional stability, consciousness, or empathy) foster ethical behaviours and leadership performance. Integrating the two approaches contributes to the understanding of effective leadership as simultaneously being a moral and psychological process: morality guides leaders' actions, while personality sustains consistency and stability. The article proposes a three-level conceptual model: intrapersonal (character and personality), interpersonal (moral behaviour and influence), and organizational (ethical culture and collective results), offering thus a valuable framework for future research regarding the interdependence between personality, ethics, and leadership performance.