OS 230 Organizational Ethics Week 8

Our Last Class

The Closer

• Season 7 episode 11, Necessary Evil• Two Views –

– Coach Carr was wrong – as good as his intentions are, his actions were illegal

– Coach Carr was right – The challenges at work forced him to look for unorthodox solutions and for going above and beyond, he will probably lose his job.

• “Maybe it’s time for him to move on.” “I don’t know,” says Brenda, “He seemed to be doing important work.”

• Watch for the parallel scenario(s) with Brenda

CHARASMATIC LEADERS:

Ethical vs Unethical

Trust and Charisma in the Leader Follower Relationship

OS230, Week 8

The Charismatic Leader type:

According to prevailing theories, followers believe the charismatic leader as one or more of the following:

• Omnipotent (parent archetype); will nurture and guide.• Mystical (knows "higher truths"); knows the way and the

answers.• Heroic (perhaps from past achievements); can move

mountains.• Value-driven (concerned with the collective and able to

empower it); pure in spirit.

Excerpted from The ethics of charismatic leadership by Jane M. Howell and Bruce J. Avolio, Academy of Management Executives, 1992, Vol. 6 No.2; and The Charismatic Leader as Narcissist by Daniel Sankowsky, Organizational Dynamics, Spring 1995, Vol. 23, No. 4

The Dark Side of Charismatic Leadership

1. Leaders become addicted to charisma– “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

2. Organizations can become addicted to the charismatic leader

– In extreme cases - A cult.

3. Charisma grows for its own sake and forgets its purpose– Charisma is a capability, not the mission or reason the company exists.

Brian Evje, 3 Dangers of Charismatic Leadership, Inc. Apr 25, 2012, http://www.inc.com/brian-evje/three-dangers-of-charismatic-

leadership.html

History has great examples of charismatic leaders who used extraordinary influence on the public.

One of the better examples – MLK:

“…Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”, -Martin Luther King Jr., 1963.

The Six Key Factors for developing the ethical charismatic in the organization:

Top management is committed to a clearly stated code of ethical conduct that is continually enforced helps establish acceptable standards or boundaries for employee conduct (Hegarty & Sims. Jr., 1979).

They recruit, select and promote managers with high moral standardsTo set a culture of high ethical standards

They developing performance standards and rewards that emphasize respect for people

They train leaders on how to integrate a diverse point of view. Seeing the interrelationships among new perspectives and old, lies at the source of moral development (Trevino, 1986).

They train individuals with the necessary personality characteristics, social skills, and motivation to acquire ethical charismatic leader behaviors (Howell & Frost, 1990).

They identify and honor heroes or heroines who exemplify high moral conduct as essential to the long term success of the organization (Kahn, 1990). These are the role models to influence others.

Conclusion: Now you know

• Look for the characteristics of Ethical

charismatic leaders

• Recognize the Unethical charismatics for

what they are

Live your life with courage, justice and integrity