Q Chapter 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 about how that power should and should not be used The challenge of leadership becomes complex when we consider how individuals of different backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities may hold quite different values yet be thrown into increasingly closer interaction McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-3 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-4 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin Optimistic view of others 6-5 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-6 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese The Relative Importance People Place on Values Terminal Values Instrumental Values An exciting life Being courageous A sense of accomplishment Being helpful Family security Being honest Inner harmony Being imaginative Social recognition Being logical Friendship Being responsible McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-7 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-8 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese Four Generations of Workers The pervasive influence of broad forces tend to create common value systems among people growing up at a particular time 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+) McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-9 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 and experience Once established, it is relatively difficult to change a leader’s values McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-10 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-11 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese How Values Impact Leadership (continued) Leaders tend to like followers with similar values and dislike 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-12 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese Key Work Values Recognition Tradition Power Security Hedonism Commerce Altruistic Aesthetics Affiliation Science McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-13 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 organization or team are more satisfied and likely to stay; those with dissimilar values are more likely to leave McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-14 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-15 “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 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese Principle-Centered Leadership The principle-centered approach postulates a fundamental interdependence between the unique roles of each level: Personal Interpersonal Managerial Organizational McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-16 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-17 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 aware and respectful of cultural differences and cultural perspectives McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-18 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-19 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese Leader Attributes and Behaviors Universally Viewed as Positive Trustworthy Positive Intelligent Just Dynamic Decisive Honest Motive arouser Effective bargainer Foresighted Confidence builder Win-win problem solver Plans ahead Motivational Administratively skilled Encouraging Dependable Communicative Informed Coordinator Team builder Excellence oriented McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-20 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese Leader Attributes and Behaviors Universally Viewed as Negative Loner Nonexplicit Asocial Egocentric Noncooperative Ruthless Irritable Dictatorial McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-21 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-22 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese 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 McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-23 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese ... tend to align the values of their followers with those of the organization or movement McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-4 © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights rese Leadership and “Doing the Right... distinctive experiences during their critical developmental periods: The Veterans (1922-1943) The Baby Boomers (1942-1960) The Xers (1960-1980) The Nexters (1980+) McGraw-Hill/Irwin 6-9 © 2006 The. .. 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 and experience