IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v116y2013i2p415-431.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Leadership Manipulation and Ethics in Storytelling

Author

Listed:
  • Tommi Auvinen
  • Anna-Maija Lämsä
  • Teppo Sintonen
  • Tuomo Takala

Abstract

This article focuses on exerting influence in leadership, namely manipulation in storytelling. Manipulation is usually considered an unethical approach to leadership. We will argue that manipulation is a more complex phenomenon than just an unethical way of acting in leadership. We will demonstrate through an empirical qualitative study that there are various types of manipulation through storytelling. This article makes a contribution to the literature on manipulation through leadership storytelling, offering a more systematic empirical analysis and a more nuanced view of the topic than previously existed by outlining how managers engage in manipulative storytelling and what kind of ethics they link to their manipulation in leadership. Four types of manipulation in storytelling are identified in the study: humorous, pseudo-participative, seductive and pseudo-empathetic. From an ethical perspective, we will show that manipulation is not always self-evidently reprehensible. We will conclude that the dominant ethical justification for manipulation stems from its consequences. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Tommi Auvinen & Anna-Maija Lämsä & Teppo Sintonen & Tuomo Takala, 2013. "Leadership Manipulation and Ethics in Storytelling," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 415-431, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:116:y:2013:i:2:p:415-431
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1454-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10551-012-1454-8
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-012-1454-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. V. Brand, 2009. "Empirical Business Ethics Research and Paradigm Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(4), pages 429-449, June.
    2. Johanna Kujala & Anna-Maija Lämsä & Katriina Penttilä, 2011. "Managers’ Moral Decision-Making Patterns Over Time: A Multidimensional Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(2), pages 191-207, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Minna-Maaria Hiekkataipale & Anna-Maija Lämsä, 2017. "What Should a Manager Like Me Do in a Situation Like This? Strategies for Handling Ethical Problems from the Viewpoint of the Logic of Appropriateness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 457-479, October.
    2. Tuomas KOKKO & Tommi AUVINEN & Pasi SAJASALO & Tuomo TAKALA, 2018. "Shortcomings Of New Public Management Ideology From The Power Perspective: Exploration Of Power Relations In A Finnish Municipal Organization," Management Research and Practice, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 10(2), pages 5-26, June.
    3. Helena Liu & Christopher Baker, 2016. "Ordinary Aristocrats: The Discursive Construction of Philanthropists as Ethical Leaders," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 261-277, January.
    4. repec:ipg:wpaper:2014-520 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Lutz Kaufmann & Moritz Schreiner & Felix Reimann, 2023. "Narratives in supplier negotiations—The interplay of narrative design elements, structural power, and outcomes," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 59(1), pages 66-94, January.
    6. Sharfa Hassan & Puneet Kaur & Michael Muchiri & Chidiebere Ogbonnaya & Amandeep Dhir, 2023. "Unethical Leadership: Review, Synthesis and Directions for Future Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(2), pages 511-550, March.
    7. Lu Bostanli & Andre Habisch, 2023. "Narratives as a Tool for Practically Wise Leadership," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 113-142, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Helen LaVan & Lori S. Cook & Ivana Zilic, 2021. "An analysis of the ethical frameworks and financial outcomes of corporate social responsibility and business press reporting of US pharmaceutical companies," International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(3), pages 326-355.
    2. Minna-Maaria Hiekkataipale & Anna-Maija Lämsä, 2019. "(A)moral Agents in Organisations? The Significance of Ethical Organisation Culture for Middle Managers’ Exercise of Moral Agency in Ethical Problems," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 147-161, March.
    3. Katalin Takacs Haynes & Matevž (Matt) Rašković, 2021. "Living with Corruption in Central and Eastern Europe: Social Identity and the Role of Moral Disengagement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(4), pages 825-845, December.
    4. Mai, Nhat Chi, 2020. "Post-war Labour Market Reconstruction : The Case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," OSF Preprints w87nc, Center for Open Science.
    5. Kristine Hoover & Molly Pepper, 2015. "How did They Say That? Ethics Statements and Normative Frameworks at Best Companies to Work For," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 605-617, October.
    6. Peter Mudrack & E. Mason, 2013. "Ethical Judgments: What Do We Know, Where Do We Go?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(3), pages 575-597, July.
    7. Jay Joseph & John E. Katsos & Mariam Daher, 2021. "Local Business, Local Peace? Intergroup and Economic Dynamics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(4), pages 835-854, November.
    8. Theodora Issa & David Pick, 2010. "Ethical Mindsets: An Australian Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 96(4), pages 613-629, November.
    9. Hoorani, Bareerah Hafeez & Plakoyiannaki, Emmanuella & Gibbert, Michael, 2023. "Understanding time in qualitative international business research: Towards four styles of temporal theorizing," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(1).
    10. David Murillo & Steen Vallentin, 2016. "The Business School’s Right to Operate: Responsibilization and Resistance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(4), pages 743-757, July.
    11. Marcos Luís Procópio, 2022. "Qualitative empirical research on ethical decision-making in organizations: Revisiting Waters, Bird, and Chant’s pioneering methodological approach," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1661-1680, June.
    12. Clément Dubreuil & Delphine Dion & Stéphane Borraz, 2023. "For the Love of the Game: Moral Ambivalence and Justification Work in Consuming Violence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 186(3), pages 675-694, September.
    13. Sevdiye E. Yılmaz, 2019. "Methodological View of Business Ethics Researches in Turkey: A Review on Postgraduate Theses," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(8), pages 107-115, August.
    14. Elise Marescaux & Sophie De Winne & Luc Sels, 2019. "Idiosyncratic Deals from a Distributive Justice Perspective: Examining Co-workers’ Voice Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 263-281, January.
    15. Michael Buckley, 2013. "A Constructivist Approach to Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 117(4), pages 695-706, November.
    16. Emma Bell & Nik Winchester & Edward Wray-Bliss, 2021. "Enchantment in Business Ethics Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(2), pages 251-262, November.
    17. Ataur Belal & Omneya Abdelsalam & Sardar Nizamee, 2015. "Ethical Reporting in Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (1983–2010)," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 129(4), pages 769-784, July.
    18. Maribel Blasco, 2022. "“We’re Just Geeks”: Disciplinary Identifications Among Business Students and Their Implications for Personal Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 279-302, June.
    19. Minna-Maaria Hiekkataipale & Anna-Maija Lämsä, 2017. "What Should a Manager Like Me Do in a Situation Like This? Strategies for Handling Ethical Problems from the Viewpoint of the Logic of Appropriateness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 457-479, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:116:y:2013:i:2:p:415-431. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.