Building an Ethics-Based Workplace Culture
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Professor:
Unit Name & Number:
Date of Submission:
Building an Ethics-Based Workplace Culture
- The most important characteristics of ethical leadership
Ethical leaders embrace justice to the people they lead in their various organizations. It is evident that whenever leaders ensure fair and just leadership, all people feel equally treated (Özbağ, 2016). Just leadership ensures that workers do not experience biasness regarding their ethnicity, gender, and nationality. It should be noted that ethical leaders who embrace justice have respect for their subjects. They usually respect all people regardless of their power and position they hold in any organization. As part of the concern, ethical leaders treat their followers compassionately, generously, and always listen to them attentively.
Another trait commonly possessed by ethical leaders is the virtue of honesty. Usually, ethical leaders are honest and embrace loyalty to the organization’s culture (Krenitsky, 2020). In most instances, moral leader’s followers trust their leaders’ honesty and their dependability. As a result of the love for honest, ethical leaders do not seek popularity but will strive to ensure transparency. Also linked to honest is the value of kindness, which ethical leaders practice. Ethical leaders are key role players in all teams they affiliate with, and they usually regard all people as essential beings.
Also noteworthy is that ethical leaders know the art of building strong teams. Ethical leadership builds on group and community spirit to uniting people within any particular organization (Özbağ, 2016). Ethical leaders are not selfish or narcissistic but strive to achieve team or community goals. Even in their efforts to achieve their personal goals, ethical leaders are mindful of other people in their various communities or organizations. For that reason, ethical leadership focuses on organizational goals but not the personal endeavors of individual workers. It suffices to hold that ethical leaders value the making of value-driven decisions. It is worth noting that ethical leadership ensures all decisions made incline to the mission and the organization’s values.
Ethical leadership supports employees’ initiative ideas, thus ethical leaders’ followers thrive, flourish (Weller, 2017). It should be noted that employees are encouraged to continue doing the right thing. Leaders who embrace ethics believe in the never-ending improvement of their followers. Therefore, they give incentives and other rewards to encourage them to adopt a morality and work ethics. If material rewards are not available, ethical leaders motivate their followers through recognition and praise. Whenever a person’s behavior deviates from the standards set in the given organization, ethical leaders correct them without imposing severe punishments. Ethical leaders lead by example and always set expectations that their followers can achieve in their various skills and knowledge levels.
- The relationship between the ethical leader and the follower
There is usually an ideal relationship between ethical leaders and their followers. First, ethical leaders want their followers to experience equality and work without fear of intimidation or discrimination (Presbitero, & Teng-Calleja, 2019). On the other hand, the followers expect their leaders to acknowledge their efforts and provide the correct example whenever they require guidance. The relationship between ethical leaders and their followers thrives under good communication. There is a defined channel of communication that leaders use to communicate with their followers and vice-versa. There is always mutual understanding based on the organization’s values, mission, and vision. The relationship between ethical leader and their followers is one defined by organizational goals.
- Importance of the relationship between the ethical leader and the follower for organizations that are attempting to do the right thing
According to Weller (2017), the relationship between ethical leaders and their employees results in developing an influential culture within a particular organization. The ideal relationship is instrumental to the development of working morale and promotes worker’s personal growth. The reason is that workers experience the freedom of making individual decisions, provided they conform to workplace ethics. By doing what is ethically or morally right, employees experience professional growth over some time. Workers always rely on their ethical leaders for moral and social support; hence, they do not fear any victimization or discrimination. The excellent relationship, therefore, results in a never-ending rise in productivity due to employees’ loyalty.
Workers feel part of the organization and would direct their efforts and commitment to ensuring the company’s prosperity. There is an ideal culture that prevails within the organization. However, ethical leaders impact positively on the lives of employees and other stakeholders, such as customers. Presbitero & Teng-Calleja (2019) assert that business conduct affects the relationship an organization has with its target customers. Therefore, ethical leaders assess the relationship and give relevant direction before the organization’s reputation is spoiled. Supposedly, the relationship between ethical leaders and their followers indirectly results in customer loyalty. According to Krenitsky (2020), organizations benefit from the numerous ethic-based programs which ethical leaders organize for their employees. Employees learn the importance of adhering to their particular organization’s ethics and the virtue of relating well to other organizational stakeholders.
- The Chief Ethics Officer’s role and their relation to the success of the ethics-related endeavors in large organizations
First, the Chief Ethics Officer’s role is to develop and supervise organizational ethics. Therefore, the officer ensures all stakeholders’ business conduct conforms to the particular organization’s ethical standards. Another function of the Chief Ethics Officer is to provide effective leadership that thrives at expert advice to workers to ensure effective execution of organizational ethics and observes the set policies and corporate programs.
An ethical officer also carries investigation to understand any dispute in which bodies within and outside the organization present. They ensure that all the employees have the chance to develop personally and professionally. Through personal and professional growth, employees learn to observe a code of ethics, and by doing so, they facilitate a lucid organizational standard (Yasir&Mohamad, 2016). People that do not conform to the set standards are punished for their defiance. Therefore, it is the work of the Chief Ethics Officer to impose the organizational code of ethics. Whenever a change is needed, they modify the code of ethics to suit the particular need. The changes made arise after the officer assesses the organization’s vision, mission, values, and goals and finds aspects of organizational culture that stakeholders in the company do not comply with.
Through the Chief Ethics Officer’s role, an organization develops a strong culture that competes effectively with other related companies (Presbitero, &Teng-Calleja, 2019). Also, employers and employees work in harmony, and their productivity increases, leading to a rise in the organization’s revenue. The Chief Ethics Officer deals with employers and their employees, and therefore, their work is sensitive since they may deal with senior persons’ conduct within an organization (Presbitero, &Teng-Calleja, 2019). After assessing stakeholder business conduct, the Chief Ethics Officer provides advice and guidance to the relevant authority. In conclusion, the Chief Ethics Officer’s work is of paramount importance in business organizations and institutions like schools where ethics are of significant concern.
References
Krenitsky, J. (2020). The compliance and ethics officer of the future: What skills are necessary?. Journal of Financial Compliance, 3(3), 255-261.
Özbağ, G. K. (2016). The role of personality in leadership: five-factor personality traits and ethical leadership. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 235(Supplement C), 235-242.
Presbitero, A., &Teng-Calleja, M. (2019).Ethical leadership, team leader’s cultural intelligence, and ethical behavior of team members.Personnel Review.
Weller, A. (2017). Professional Associations as Communities of Practice: Exploring the Boundaries of Ethics and Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility. Business and Society Review, 122(3), 359-392.
Yasir, M., &Mohamad, N. A. (2016). Ethics and morality: Comparing ethical leadership with servant, authentic, and transformational leadership styles. International Review of Management and Marketing, 6(4S).