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
Causes of Ethical Dilemmas
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“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.”
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
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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.
Ethical Reasoning Process
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.
What If Your Boss Asks You to
Do Something Unethical?
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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
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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 Fitness
Three Levels of Personal Moral Development
3. Post-conventional
2. Conventional
• Internalized
1. Pre-conventional • Fulfills others’ universal principles
expectations
• Balances concern
• Rulebook
for self and others.
• Society’s
• Self-interest
obligations
• Independent
• Blind Obedience/
• Law abiding
• Complete belief in
Compliance
• Identification the values
• Acts based on
reward/
• Acts to become
punishment
a recognized
(Requires
member of the
leader’s
group
Soldiers Learn
through Observation
Pay attention
to their
leaders
See what the
other soldiers
did and what
happened to
them
Observe other
soldiers
receiving
awards
Recognize our
commitment
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.