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Business Executives’ Perceptions of Ethical Leadership and Its Development

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  • Catherine Marsh

Abstract

This paper summarized the findings of a qualitative study that examines the perceptions of ethical leadership held by those who perceived themselves to be ethical leaders, and how life experiences shaped the values called upon when making ethical decisions. The experiences of 28 business executives were shared with the researcher, beginning with the recollection of a critical incident that detailed an ethical issue with which each executive had been involved. With the critical incident in mind, each executive told the personal story that explained the development of the values he or she called upon when resolving the ethical issue described. The stories were analyzed through the use of constant comparison, which resulted in the development of two models: (1) a framework for ethical leadership illuminating valued aspects of ethical leaderships and the value perspectives called upon when making ethical decisions, and (2) a model explaining how the executives’ ethical frameworks developed. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on virtue ethics, experiential learning, and human resource development. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine Marsh, 2013. "Business Executives’ Perceptions of Ethical Leadership and Its Development," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 565-582, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:114:y:2013:i:3:p:565-582
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1366-7
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    3. Sebastian C. Schuh & Michelle Xue Zheng & Katherine R. Xin & Juan Antonio Fernandez, 2019. "The Interpersonal Benefits of Leader Mindfulness: A Serial Mediation Model Linking Leader Mindfulness, Leader Procedural Justice Enactment, and Employee Exhaustion and Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 1007-1025, June.
    4. Sylvia Gholston, 2015. "Effective Strategies for Hiring Employees Despite Social Affiliation," Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Richtmann Publishing Ltd, vol. 4, July.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. John James Cater & Lorna A. Collins & Brent D. Beal, 2017. "Ethics, Faith, and Profit: Exploring the Motives of the U.S. Fair Trade Social Entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(1), pages 185-201, November.
    8. Lorenzo Patelli & Matteo Pedrini, 2015. "Is Tone at the Top Associated with Financial Reporting Aggressiveness?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 3-19, January.
    9. Vēvere Velga & Liniņa Iveta, 2016. "Ethical Leadership: Meaning and Measurement. Latvian Retail Traders’ Perspective," Economics and Culture, Sciendo, vol. 13(2), pages 89-96, December.
    10. Rachel Fichter, 2018. "Do the Right Thing! Developing Ethical Behavior in Financial Institutions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(1), pages 69-84, August.
    11. Alina Beattrice Vladu & Oriol Amat & Dan Dacian Cuzdriorean, 2014. "Truthfulness in accounting: How to discriminate accounting manipulators from non-manipulators," Economics Working Papers 1434, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

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