Q

6

Leadership and Values

“

Leadership cannot just go along to get along… Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day

.”

~Jesse Jackson

Introduction

 Leaders can use power for good or ill, and the leader’s

personal values

may be one of the most important determinants of how power is exercised or constrained.

 The mere possession of power, of any kind, leads inevitably to

ethical questions

should and should not be used.

about how that power  The challenge of leadership becomes complex when we consider how individuals of different

cultures

, and

nationalities backgrounds

may hold quite ,

different values

yet be thrown into increasingly closer interaction.

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Leadership and “Doing the Right Things”

 Leaders face dilemmas that require choices between

competing

sets of values and priorities.

 Leaders set a

moral example

to others that becomes the model for an entire group or organization, for good or bad.

 Leaders should internalize a strong set of

ethics

,

principles of right conduct

, or a system of

moral values

.

 Good leaders tend to

align the values

of their followers with those of the organization or movement.

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Leadership and “Doing the Right Things” (continued)

 Four qualities of leadership:  Vision  Empathy  Consistency  Integrity  Two contrasting sets of assumptions people make about human nature:  Theory X  Pessimistic view of others  Theory Y  Optimistic view of others 6-5

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What Are Values?

 Values are “constructs representing generalized behaviors or states of affairs that are considered by the individual to be important.”  Values play a fairly central role in one’s overall

psychological makeup

and can

affect behavior

in a variety of situations.

 Individuals in the same work unit can have considerably

different

values.

 We can only make

inferences

about people’s values based on their

behavior

.

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The Relative Importance People Place on Values

Terminal Values Instrumental Values

An exciting life Being courageous A sense of accomplishment Family security Inner harmony Social recognition Friendship

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Being helpful Being honest Being imaginative Being logical 6-7 Being responsible

© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

How Do Values Develop?

 A person’s values reflect the contributions of:  Family  Peers  Educational system  Religion  Media  Science and technology  Geography  Current events 

Value programming

is the extent to which forces outside the individual shape and mold personal values.

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Four Generations of Workers

 The pervasive influence of broad forces tend to create

common value systems particular time

among people growing up at a that distinguish them from people who grow up at different times.

 Each generation is molded by distinctive experiences during their critical developmental periods:  The Veterans (1922-1943)  The Baby Boomers (1942-1960)  The Xers (1960-1980)  The Nexters (1980+) 6-9

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Generational Values

 The results of a scientific sampling of over 1,000 people living in the U.S. found little evidence of a generation gap in

basic values

.

 Values are the result of

education experience

.

and  Once established, it is relatively difficult to

change

a leader’s values.

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How Values Impact Leadership

 Values are a primary determinant in

what data

are reviewed by leaders and how they

define problems

.

 Values often

influence

leader’s

perceptions

of individual and organizational successes as well as the manner in which these successes are achieved.

 Values

help leaders choose

right from wrong, and between ethical and unethical behavior.

6-11

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How Values Impact Leadership (continued)

 Leaders tend to and

dislike like

followers with

similar values

those with

dissimilar values

.

 It is important for leaders to surround themselves with followers who possess

divergent values

.

 Leaders are motivated to

act

in ways

consistent

with their values, and they typically spend most of their time

engaged in activities

that are

consistent

with their values.

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 Recognition  Power  Hedonism  Altruistic  Affiliation

Key Work Values

 Tradition  Security  Commerce  Aesthetics  Science 6-13

© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Leadership and Organizational Values



Organizational values

represent the

principals

by which employees are to get work done and treat other employees, customers, and vendors.

 The top leadership’s

collective values

play a significant role in determining

organizational culture

.

 Research has shown that

employees

with values

similar

to the

satisfied organization

or team are more and likely to stay; those with dissimilar values are more likely to leave.

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Leadership and Organizational Values (continued)

 It is vital for a leader to set a

personal example

of values-based leadership to make sure that clear values guide everyone’s behavior in the organization.

 If there is indifference or hypocrisy toward values at the highest levels, then it is fairly unlikely that principled behavior will be considered important by others throughout the organization.

“

It’s important that people know what you stand for. It’s equally important that they know what you won’t stand for

.” ~Mary Waldrop 6-15

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Principle-Centered Leadership

 The principle-centered approach postulates a fundamental interdependence between the unique roles of each level :  Personal  Interpersonal  Managerial  Organizational 6-16

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When Good People Do Bad Things

 Several ways people with firm moral principles may behave badly without feeling guilt or remorse :  Moral justification  Euphemistic labeling  Advantageous comparison  Displacement of responsibility  Diffusion of responsibility  Disregard or distortion of consequences  Dehumanization   Attribution of blame Darley’s Law 6-17

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What is Culture?

 Culture refers to those

learned behaviors

characterizing the

total way of life

of members within any given society.

 The most salient aspect of any culture typically involves

behavior

.

 Behavior is the distinctive actions, mannerisms, and gestures characteristic of a culture.

 Business leaders must become

respectful

of

aware cultural differences

and and

cultural perspectives

.

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A Framework for Understanding Cultural Differences

 Seven fundamental dilemmas that people of all cultures face:  Source of Identity: Individual – Collective  Goals and Means of Achievement: Tough – Tender  Orientation to Authority: Equal – Unequal  Response to Ambiguity: Dynamic – Stable  Means of Knowledge Acquisition: Active – Reflective  Perspective on Time: Scarce – Plentiful  Outlook on Life: Doing - Being 6-19

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Leader Attributes and Behaviors Universally Viewed as Positive Trustworthy Positive Intelligent Just Honest Dynamic Motive arouser Decisive Effective bargainer Foresighted Confidence builder Plans ahead Encouraging Informed Excellence oriented

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Motivational Dependable Coordinator Win-win problem solver Administratively skilled Communicative Team builder 6-20

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Leader Attributes and Behaviors Universally Viewed as Negative Loner Nonexplicit Asocial Egocentric Noncooperative Irritable

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Ruthless Dictatorial 6-21

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Implications of Leadership Practitioners

 Leadership practitioners should expect to face a variety of

challenges

to their own system of ethics, values, or attitudes during their careers.

 Interacting with individuals and groups holding divergent and conflicting values is

inevitable

.

 Leaders in particular have a responsibility

not

to let their own personal values

interfere

with professional leader-subordinate relationships.

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McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Summary

 Values are constructs that represent general sets of behavior or states of affairs that individuals consider to be important, and they are a central part of a leader’s psychological makeup.

 Values impact leadership through a cultural context within which various attributes and behaviors are regarded differentially - positively or negatively.

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