Billy Wood
Leadership and Ethical Decision Making
Spring 2011
Discussion Question 3
Are there substitutes for leadership and can you think of three or more?
There are several substitutes to traditional theories of leadership. Some of these include; mentor-ship, self leadership, and inactive leadership. The website Business Dictionary defines leadership substitutions as “ factors in a work-setting that encourage common efforts toward achieving organizational goals, and can take the place of active leadership” (Dictionary.com, 2010). These non traditional styles focus on the abilities and willingness of the followers. Steven Kerr and John Jermier developed a theory in which leadership, in the traditional way of thinking, is not needed (Gordon, 1994) . They suggest three situations that can substitute for traditional leadership: the characteristics of subordinates, the characteristics of the task, and the characteristics of the organization.
The characteristic of the subordinates (followers) is a substitution in which group members can work well without leadership. Subordinate traits must include the ability and experience to complete the goals or tasks with little or no supervision. The followers must also have a strong sense of independence.
The task characteristics substitution includes: routineness, availability of feedback, and intrinsic satisfaction/rewards (Gordon, 1994). If the task is rather routine then unneeded leader intervention will decrease moral and motivation. In this type of situation the task itself should provide adequate feedback. Support from the leader is usually unwanted or unneeded in this situation. Intrinsic rewards will come from the sense of accomplishment.
Finally, the characteristics of the organization substitution include: formalization, group cohesion, inflexibility, and a rigid reward structure. Groups must be formal, be able to work well together, and be firm. My wife is a part of a situation that meets the criteria for substitution of traditional leadership. She is part of a team (group) working on a long term data management project. The group was established formally, there is a “hands off approach” from management, and the reward is the possibility of more responsibility (with a pay raise) on future projects.
I also discovered another type of substitute for leadership that may be effective. This type involves the educational system. Author Thomas J. Sergiovanni believes that a well organized community could take the place of the teacher as the primary leader in the classroom (Sergiovanni, 1992). This community approach to leadership sees each individual school as a small community. In this community approach, everyone works together for the common good. This is accomplished by sharing ideas, duties, values, and obligations.
William M. Wood Jr.
Bibliography
Dictionary.com, B. (2010, 0 0). Substitutes for leadership. Retrieved 1 29, 2011, from Business Dictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/substitutes-for-leadership.html
Gordon, R. F. (1994). Substitutes for leadership. SuperVision , 55 (7), 17.
Sergiovanni, T. (1992). Chapter 4 Substitutes for Leadership. In Moral Leadership: Getting to the Heart of School Improvement (p. 119). San Francisco: Bass.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Leadership and Ethical Decision Making
Billy Wood
Leadership and Ethical Decision Making
Spring 2011
Discussion Question 2
What is it about power and success that creates ethical challenges for leaders? What reasons might leaders use to justify their behavior if they break rules that apply more generally to others?
In a letter written to academic scholar Mandell Creighton in 1877, famous historian Lord Acton wrote “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupt absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority” (Clausen, Winter2000). Ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote ““The measure of a man is what he does with power.” The question arises now as it did then, “What is it about power and success that creates ethical challenges for leaders”?
Our textbook suggests ethical issues for leaders revolve around: moral standards, power, moral mistakes, moral consistency, and ethics effectiveness (Howell, 2006). Failure of a leader to center on these sources can lead to: abuse of power, abuse of authority, and corruption. Personal, or internal, factors that can contribute to ethical challenges for a leader include: vanity, greed, arrogance, and the leader’s personal belief system. External factors such the cultural climate and politics can also affect ethics.
Some leaders attempt to justify their poor ethical decisions based on the uniqueness of their position or the situation. Sometimes this justification occurs through cover ups and lies. Adolf Hitler believed that it was his responsibility, in his position as Germany’s leader, to eradicate the Jews. Once Hitler’s concentration camps were liberated his officers attempted to cover up the evidence of their unethical atrocities. Occasionally leaders attempt to justify their actions by making decisions that may be unethical but effective. John F. Kennedy lied to the American public when he excluded certain details of his resolution to the Cuban missile Crisis (a secret compromise was made with the U.S.S.R. in regards to removing missiles from Turkey). His actions probably saved the world from a nuclear war.
Why does power and success create ethical dilemmas for leaders? The answer lies in the values and morals of the individual in the position, the followers, and the culture of the business. Leaders and cultures that do not focus on ethics will set a climate of abuse, unethical practice, and corruptness. Justifications of poor ethical decisions are, more often than not, based on the leader’s perception of their position and/or the situation that the leader is presented with at a given time.
William M. Wood Jr.
Works Cited
Clausen, C. (Winter2000). Lord Acton and the Lost Cause. American Scholar , Vol. 69 (1), p49, 10p.
Howell, J. P. (2006). Understanding Behaviors for Effective Leadership, Second Edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Leadership and Ethical Decision Making
Spring 2011
Discussion Question 2
What is it about power and success that creates ethical challenges for leaders? What reasons might leaders use to justify their behavior if they break rules that apply more generally to others?
In a letter written to academic scholar Mandell Creighton in 1877, famous historian Lord Acton wrote “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupt absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority” (Clausen, Winter2000). Ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote ““The measure of a man is what he does with power.” The question arises now as it did then, “What is it about power and success that creates ethical challenges for leaders”?
Our textbook suggests ethical issues for leaders revolve around: moral standards, power, moral mistakes, moral consistency, and ethics effectiveness (Howell, 2006). Failure of a leader to center on these sources can lead to: abuse of power, abuse of authority, and corruption. Personal, or internal, factors that can contribute to ethical challenges for a leader include: vanity, greed, arrogance, and the leader’s personal belief system. External factors such the cultural climate and politics can also affect ethics.
Some leaders attempt to justify their poor ethical decisions based on the uniqueness of their position or the situation. Sometimes this justification occurs through cover ups and lies. Adolf Hitler believed that it was his responsibility, in his position as Germany’s leader, to eradicate the Jews. Once Hitler’s concentration camps were liberated his officers attempted to cover up the evidence of their unethical atrocities. Occasionally leaders attempt to justify their actions by making decisions that may be unethical but effective. John F. Kennedy lied to the American public when he excluded certain details of his resolution to the Cuban missile Crisis (a secret compromise was made with the U.S.S.R. in regards to removing missiles from Turkey). His actions probably saved the world from a nuclear war.
Why does power and success create ethical dilemmas for leaders? The answer lies in the values and morals of the individual in the position, the followers, and the culture of the business. Leaders and cultures that do not focus on ethics will set a climate of abuse, unethical practice, and corruptness. Justifications of poor ethical decisions are, more often than not, based on the leader’s perception of their position and/or the situation that the leader is presented with at a given time.
William M. Wood Jr.
Works Cited
Clausen, C. (Winter2000). Lord Acton and the Lost Cause. American Scholar , Vol. 69 (1), p49, 10p.
Howell, J. P. (2006). Understanding Behaviors for Effective Leadership, Second Edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
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