Ethical leadership research: Looking beyond the leader

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to illustrate how a stakeholder-based perspective on organizational ethical leadership can further understand of what it means to be an ethical leader and how ethical leadership can help to effectively safeguard public values. As moral persons, ethical leaders are said to have strong moral character and a deeply held set of moral values that they uphold even in the face of significant external pressures or risks. Studies on ethical leadership found consistent support for the idea that ethical leaders play a critical role in reducing unethical behaviours such as fraud, theft, bullying, and misuse of organizational resources. An ethical leader should account for numerous stakeholders, including stakeholders both internal and external to the organization, proximal or distant, and individuals as well as groups, even the natural environment and future generations. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the value and implications of broadening scope from a leader-centered to a stakeholder-based perspective on ethical leadership.