Leadership Values and Ethical Reasoning

Chaplain (Major) Ken Williams

Terminal Learning Objective

Action: Apply the Ethical Decision Making Process as a Commander, Leader, or Staff Member.

Condition: In a classroom environment, given case studies, group discussion, and FM 22-100.

Standard: Identified the relationship between leadership values and decision making; explained the difference between values and ethics according to FM 22-100.

Administrative Data

Safety Requirements: None

Risk Assessment: Low

Environmental Considerations: None

Evaluation: Leadership Exam

References

• FM 22-100 Army Leadership 1999• Article 90 Uniform Code of Military

Justice 1984• DOD 5500.7-R Joint Ethics Regulation

1993

Outline

• Review Ethical Decision Making Process

• Discuss Ethical Leadership

• Discuss Establishing an Ethical Climate

What Is Ethics?

A group of moral principles or set of values that define or direct us to the right choice

What Are Values?

“Values are the deep seated, pervasive standards that influence every aspect of our lives (our moral judgments, our responses to others, our commitment to personal and organizational goals). Values set the parameters for decision making.” – Kouzes and Posner, The Leadership Challenge, p. 212

What Is an Ethical Dilemma?

Situation in which two or more deeply held values come into conflict. In these situations, the correct ethical choice may be unclear.

?What “should” or “ought” I do?

What is right or wrong, good or bad?

Causes of Ethical Dilemmas

• A Bottom Line Orientation• Short Term Traps• The Ego Barrier

• “There is no excuse for failure.”• “Zero defects.”• “Can do.”• “Just do it.”• “Tell them what they want to hear.”• “Make the report say what they want to see.”

Causes of Ethical Dilemmas

Determining the “Right Thing”

Basic Approaches

• Kantian (Deontic) Approach

• Utilitarian (Consequential) Approach

• Virtue (Character) Approach

• Fairness (Justice) Approach

• Common-Good Approach

Kantian (Deontic or Rights) Approach

• Immanuel Kant• Rules or principles determine action.• Emphasizes the principle over the result.• The action should not be done if everyone should

not do it. Can my act become universal law?• People have rights: truth, privacy, and protection.• People are not a means to an end, but are an end

in themselves.• Bottom Line: Does the action respect the moral

rights of everyone?

Utilitarian (Consequential) Approach

• John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham• Emphasizes the results of the action.• Ethical actions provide the best balance of

good over evil.• An act is right if and only if it results in as

much good as any available alternative.• Bottom Line: The greatest good for the

greatest number of people.

Virtue (Character) Approach

• Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas• Emphasizes character.• Character traits or virtues enable us

to reach our highest potential.• A virtuous person is an ethical

person.• “What kind of person should I be?” • Bottom Line: People develop virtues

through habit.

Fairness (Justice) Approach

• Aristotle• “Equals should be treated equally and

unequals should be treated unequally.”• Favoritism and discrimination are unjust

and wrong.• Bottom Line: How fair is the action? Does it

treat everyone the same way, or does it show favoritism or discrimination?

Common-Good Approach

• Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, John Rawls• “Veil of Ignorance” – Those that make

decisions should be blind to personal gain.

• We are all members of the same community.

• Bottom Line: What is good for individuals is based on what is good for the community as a whole.

Step 1: Define the problem.

Step 2: Know the relevant rules.

Step 3: Develop and evaluate courses of action.

Step 4: Choose the course of action that best represents Army values.

Ethical Reasoning Process

What If Your Boss Asks You to Do Something Unethical?

• Examine the facts.• Turn implied request into ethical response.• Never appear to be self-righteous.• Expose your personal sensitivity.• Remember that ethical people have the power.• Be professional and ethical.• Be friendly and non-threatening.Richard Chewning, When Your Boss Asks for Something Unethical.

Presbyterian Journal, 24 Dec 86, 14 Jan 87, 4 Feb 87

Ethical Leadership

Thoughts to consider in pursuit of being an ethical leader

Ethics and Leadership

Your ability to lead flows from your individual beliefs, values, and character.

What Is Leadership?

“Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes.”

-- Rost, Joseph C. Leadership for the Twenty-first Century.

What is the difference between “ethical” leadership and “unethical” leadership?

Is there a type of leadership that is neither ethical nor unethical?

The Parable of the Sadhu• Describe the breakdown between the

individual ethic and the organizational ethic.• What are some ways that we show

favoritism?• What is the leader’s responsibility to the

subordinate?• What are some sources of stress on leaders

and how does stress influence leaders?• What part does a shared purpose, values,

and a process for making decisions play in an organization?

Leader’s Ethical Leadership Responsibilities

• Be a role model.

• Develop your subordinates ethically.

• Avoid creating ethical dilemmas for your subordinates.

Leaders and Followers

• Either leading or following, we model ethical behavior in either role.                   

(1) Leaders set standards of ethical behavior.  (a) Define and affirm core values.  (b) Provide clarity.  (c) Act as standard bearers. (2) Followers embrace those standards.  (a) Embrace core values.  (b) Ask for direction when uncertain.  (c) Meet standards.

Four Essential Character Traits of Ethical Leaders

• Ability to recognize and articulate the ethics of a problem

• The personal courage no to rationalize away bad ethics

• An innate respect for others.

• Personal worth from ethical behavior

Establishing an Ethical Climate

Typical Responses

• Gut instinct

• Defining the “Shalt-Nots”

• The Starting Point: explicitly articulating a personal and professional philosophy

Personal Operating Philosophy

• Mission Statement

• Vision Statement

• Core Values

A Vision Statement

Vision Statement: a guiding picture of a desirable, ambitious future. Criteria for a quality vision statement: futuristic, challenging, preserves core ideology, applicable to individual or organization, inspires change, compelling, clear and concise.

A Mission Statement

Mission Statement: purpose and reason for existence. Criteria for a quality mission statement: clear and concise, consistent with values, action-oriented, measurable, drives or directs all decisions and actions.

What Are Values?

“Values are the deep seated, pervasive standards that influence every aspect of our lives (our moral judgments, our responses to others, our commitment to personal and organizational goals). Values set the parameters for decision making.” – Kouzes and Posner, The Leadership Challenge, p. 212

A Healthy Organization

• Guidelines are clear.• Ethical behavior is rewarded.• Levels of competition and stress are low.• Expectations and standards are clearly defined.• Informal norms are consistent with Army values.• All rewards and punishments are fair and equal.

Developing Ethical FitnessThree Levels of Personal Moral Development

1. Pre-conventional

• Rulebook

• Self-interest

• Blind Obedience/ Compliance

• Acts based on reward/ punishment (Requires

leader’s presence.)

2. Conventional

• Fulfills others’ expectations

• Society’s obligations

• Law abiding

• Identification

• Acts to become a recognized member of the group

3. Post-conventional

• Internalized universal principles

• Balances concern for self and others.

• Independent

• Complete belief in the values

Soldiers Learn through Observation

Pay attentionto theirleaders

See what theother soldiers did and whathappened to

them

Observe othersoldiers

receivingawards

Recognize ourcommitment

to the unit

Ten Ways to Enhance Ethical Leadership

1. Establish a code of ethics.2. Require everyone to verify that they

have read and understand the code.3. Integrate ethics into performance

evaluations.4. Recognize and reward ethical

behavior.5. Establish a confidential ethics hotline.

Ten Ways to Enhance Ethical Leadership

6. Incorporate ethics questions into surveys.

7. Show and discuss videos that deal with ethical dilemmas.

8. Launch an ethics column in the newsletter.

9. Use on-line menu-driven answers to questions about ethical problems.

10. Hold open forums on ethics with leaders.Source: The Canadian Clearing House for Consumer and Corporate Ethics, www.interactive.york.ca/ethicsan/eem.html, as published in Nancy Croft Baker, “Heightened Interest in Ethics Education Reflects Employer/Employee Concerns,” Corporate University Review (May/June 1997), 6-9.

Practical Exercise

• Develop your plan for establishing an ethical climate.

Ethical Climate Assessment Survey

Unit Climate Survey Materials

Army Research Institute

www.ari.army.mil

“If the corporate environment penalizes or simply threatens to penalize ethical decisions, many managers will be unwilling to apply these morals to any other frameworks. If the only choice for a manager is private moral norms or career suicide, then very few managers will have the courage to stick to their principles, and even fewer will be fully aware of how often they compromise them.” – Laura Nash, Good Intentions Aside

“Good managers can be fooled by their own good intentions, a managerial problem-solving approach, and sometimes financial success into complacently accepting a business ethic that falls short of their private ideals.” – Laura Nash, Good Intentions Aside

Conclusion

• Ethical leaders do the right things for the right reasons all the time, even when no one is watching.” (FM 22-100)

Summary

Action: Apply the Ethical Decision Making Process as a Commander, Leader, or Staff Member.

Identified the relationship between leadership values and decision making; explained the difference between values and ethics according to FM 22-100.