CHP 6: Leadership Ethics
Ends-based thinking
, such as doing what is best for the greatest number of people;
care-based thinking
, such as doing what you would want others to do for you (the Golden Rule).
level of morality
A person's_____ is one of the most important dimensions of leadership, determining whether people will trust and respect the leader.
be good
According to Aquinas, all people have a natural desire to
heteronomy
According to Jean Piaget, the unifying factor in adult societies is
moral development
According to Lawrence Kohlberg, every individual's ethical decisions are based on three levels of
motives, means, and consequences
All three—_______—are necessary ingredients of virtuous, level III, stage 6 moral leadership.
take you over a line you do not want to cross. In these situations, your conscience should guide you."
Although working will always involve compromises, it is important to know when an action may
self-discovered and self-accepted values.
At level III, stage 6 morality, a person's view of right and wrong depends on the meaning she or he attaches to personal existence, and that meaning is based on
stage 1 of preconventional morality
At this stage, physical consequences determine moral behavior. Avoidance of punishment and deference to power are characteristics of this stage. I won't hit him because he may hit me back.
Stage 6 postconventional morality
At this stage, what is right and good is viewed as a matter of individual conscience, free choice, and personal responsibility for the consequences. Morality is seen as superseding the majority view or the prescriptions of authority; rather, it is based on personal conviction. At this stage, what is right and good is viewed as a matter of individual conscience, free choice, and personal responsibility for the consequences. Morality is seen as superseding the majority view or the prescriptions of authority; rather, it is based on personal conviction.
how values are justified.
Both religious and secular ethics may endorse many common values, such as the preservation of life and the importance of the Golden Rule. The primary difference is
Stage 4 of conventional morality
Compliance with authority and upholding social order are primary ethical concerns at this stage. Right conduct is doing one's duty, as defined by those in authority positions. I will comply with the order because it is wrong to disobey.
never reach the principled morality of stages 5 and 6.
Different people go through the six stages of moral development at different rates, and some people
associations
Family, friends, and role models help shape our future lives. The example and encouragement of some people may improve us, while that of others may pull us down. Whenever possible, avoid toxic people and keep company with agents of goodness.
he English philosopher John Locke, one of the most important philosophers of modern times, viewed the newborn child as a "tabula rasa," or blank tablet, on which a life script would be written. He believed that experience and learning would shape the content, structure, and direction of each person's life. In this sense, the ethics of the infant are amoral—that is, there is no concept of good and bad or right and wrong that is inborn. After birth, babies soon discover that they are rewarded for certain things and punished for others. As a result of this early programming, they develop an understanding of what the adult world considers good and bad.
How is morality developed?
moral. Legality includes everything the law permits or doesn't expressly forbid. Morality is an even older idea, predating even legislated laws.
In the world of work, ethics is typically the purview of the legal department. But being legal may or may not mean being
direction you want to go. Also, when faced with two negatives, think about which decision is easier for your conscience to live with.
In tough moral dilemmas, a practical approach is this: For every decision you confront, project out five steps and ask yourself if your action is taking you in the
stage 2 of preconventional morality
Individual needs are the primary motives operating at this stage, and personal pleasure dictates the rightness or wrongness of behavior. I will help her because she may help me in return.
preconventional, conventional and postconventional
Kohlberg explains that each person makes ethical decisions according to three levels of moral development
Milgram drew subjects for his studies from all walks of life, including lawyers, firefighters, and construction workers. They all agreed to accept $4.50 per hour to participate in an experiment on learning and memory. In the experiment, they were told by a doctor in a white coat to act as "teachers" by reading a list of associations to a "learner," who was out of sight but could hear in the next room. If the learner got an association wrong, the teacher was instructed to give him an electric shock, increasing the voltage after each incorrect answer. The first shock was labeled "Slight shock—15 volts." The last was labeled "Danger: severe shock—450 volts. Of course, the real experiment was on the teachers to see how much punishment they would administer. At 180 volts, the learner, who was an actor, would cry out that he could not stand the pain; at 300 volts, he refused to participate; at 330 volts, there was silence. To Milgram's surprise, 65 percent of the teachers pushed on to the end, 450 volts, even if they were told the learner had a mild heart condition. Many of the teachers were seriously upset—sweating profusely, biting their lips—but with the prodding of the white-coated experimenter, they continued in spite of their moral qualms.
Milgram Studies
people as society
Moral evolution has followed a path from preconventional (level I, stage 1) to postconventional ethics (level III, stage 6). Increasingly, people as individuals versus ____ have become the basis of moral judgments
heteronomy
On a societywide scale, the ethics of adults are similarly programmed. Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget writes that ______ (rules as sacred external laws laid down by authorities) is the unifying factor in adult societies, and that in every society there are leaders (governmental, religious, and educational) who believe in certain moral ideals, and who see their task to be one of imprinting these ideals on succeeding generations
associations books self-concept
Practically speaking, the three most important influences on character formation are
Milgram's research demonstrated how ordinary people could be induced to perform inhumane acts simply by the presence of an authority figure. Milgram also found that the more psychological distance the subjects had from the victim, the more likely they were to follow orders to the bitter end. If the teacher only read the questions but did not administer the shocks, 90 percent finished the experiment. However, if the teacher had to touch the learner to administer the shocks, then only 30 percent went up to 450 volts. no difference between ages or men vs women Recent replication of the Milgram experiments show that approximately 75 percent of both men and women will follow morally offensive orders of complete strangers who they believe occupy a position of authority.
Results of Milgram Studies
ends based thinking rule based thinking care based thinking
Rushworth Kidder identifies three mind-sets for addressing moral dilemmas:
"nonharm to sentient beings." This is the basis of every professional code of ethics and every moral society. If your actions cause harm to others, they are immoral.
So what is a person to do? The best advice is to follow the dictum
Stage 5 postconventional morality
Social ethics are based on rational analysis, community discussion, and mutual consent. There is tolerance for individual views, but when there is conflict between individual and group interests, the majority rules. This stage represents the "official" morality of the U.S. Constitution. Although I disagree with his views, I will uphold his right to have them.
factual aesthetic moral
Some human judgments are ____ (the earth is round); others are ____ (she is beautiful); and still others are ____ (people should be honest and should not kill).
St. Augustine (354-430), for example, who generally is agreed to have had a greater influence on Western religious thought than any other writer outside biblical scripture, maintained that the naturally evil inclinations of humanity can be overcome only by divine grace. Aquinas taught that all people are endowed with a natural desire to be good. He believed that this inclination can be dormant in an individual and can even be perverted
THE religious tradition ethical roots
Aristotle He viewed rationality as the central and most significant trait distinguishing humankind from other creatures. Aristotle taught that the good person is the one who lives most rationally and whose moral judgments and social conduct are born of contemplation and reason, in contrast to spontaneity and emotionality.
THE secular tradition ethical roots
Stage 3 of conventional morality
The approval of others is the major determinant of behavior at this stage, and the good person is viewed as the one who satisfies family, friends, and associates. I will go along with you because I want you to like me.
understanding of the world that is theistic in nature
The basis of religious ethics is an
serve other people
The central premise of Greenleaf's approach to leadership is that ture leadership is exhibited when leaders
Preconventional morality.
The individual is aware of cultural prescriptions of right and wrong behavior. Response is based on two concerns: Will I be harmed (punishment)? Will I be helped (pleasure)? has two stages
difficult circumstances.
The message is that it is not enough to have an ethical compass unless it is activated in
how the justification of values takes place
The primary difference between secular and religious ethics is
books
The printed page and other media can poison us with wrong accounts and harmful thoughts, or they can enlighten and lift up our lives with reason and spirit fundamental to a healthy person.
religious and secular
The two roots of ethics are
behave with honor over the course of their lives.
We use these criteria (means, motives, and consequences) to judge the character of a leader both in the instance and over the span of time. We have highest respect for those leaders who
ends-based thinking
When moral dilemmas are addressed by doing what is best for the greatest number of people, the type of mind-set that is used is known as
habitual
When practiced over time, ethical behavior becomes ____ and part of people themselves.
humankind
Whether based on religious belief or secular thought, ethics is a concern unique to .
self-concept
a unifying construct of personality; the most important determinant of human behavior; the basis of present identity and future conduct; the primary factor in character formation. When our thoughts and actions are not consistent, the result is dissonance that the mind cannot tolerate. We do what we do to be consistent with who we think we are. Our primary motivation is not self-preservation but preservation of the symbolic self.
Moral judgments
are judgments about what is right and wrong, good and bad
People
are the only creatures that combine emotion (feelings) with knowledge (information) and through abstract reasoning (thought) produce a moral conscience, or a sense of what should be.
Secular ethics
is based on a scientific understanding of the world. Reality, truth, and goodness do not depend on the existence of a god.
Religious ethics
is based on a theistic understanding of the world. What is real, true, and good is defined by God.
Ethics
is the branch of philosophy concerned with the intent, means, and consequences of moral behavior. It is the study of moral judgments and right and wrong conduct.
Conventional morality:
morality is characterized by group conformity and allegiance to authority. The individual acts in order to meet the expectations of others and to please those in charge.
rule-based thinking,
such as following the highest principle or duty;
Social learning theory
supports the importance of the behavior of leaders in moral dilemmas. When people observe the actions of leaders and repeat the observed behavior, they are engaging in behavioral modeling. If the behavior is rewarded, it is likely to be repeated. The power of leaders to influence the moral tone and conduct of followers is enormous.
Postconventional morality:
this is the most advanced level of moral development. At this level, the individual is concerned with right and wrong conduct over and above self-interest, apart from the views of others, and without regard to authority figures. Ethical judgments are based on self-defined moral principles.
