Moralized Leadership: The Construction and Consequences of Ethical Leader Perceptions

Abstract

In this article we examine the construction and consequences of ethical leader perceptions. First, we introduce moralization as the primary process through which followers come to view their leaders as ethical. Second, we use moral foundations theory to illustrate the types of leader behavior that followers are most likely to moralize. Third, we identify motivations to maintain moral self-regard and a moral reputation as two distinct pathways through which moralization influences follower behavior. Finally, we show how the values that underlie leaders' moralized behavior (e.g., compassion, loyalty) determine the specific types of follower behavior that emerge (e.g., prosocial behavior, pro-organizational behavior).

The Moral Entrepreneur: A New Component of Ethical Leadership

“…Despite its wide use, Brown et al's (2005) definition and scale have elicited some criticisms from scholars, such as Eisenbeiß (2012), Voegtlin et al (2012), Yukl et al (2013), andFehr et al (2015). There are four points to the critique.…”

“…Voegtlin et al (2012, p. 4) A second point of critique is the incompleteness of the definition and scale of the moral person and moral manager. Fehr et al (2015) find that ethical leadership researchers have downplayed the role of other, less studied elements of morality, such as purity and loyalty. The current ''focus on only a narrow slice of the moral domain provides an unstable foundation on which to build a comprehensive theory of ethical leadership'' (Fehr et al 2015, p. 182).…”

“…The currently accepted definition of ethical leadership by Brown et al (2005) does not incorporate the notion of a leader creating a new ethical norm. This notion is neither considered as an aspect of ethical leadership (see e.g., Khuntia and Suar 2004;Resick et al 2011;Fehr et al 2015) nor included as an item in current scales (e.g., Brown et al 2005;Kalshoven et al 2011b;Yukl et al 2013). Only the current ELS item ''Sets an example of how to do things the right way in terms of ethics'' can capture to some extent the notion of moral entrepreneurship.…”

“…The concept of ethical leadership is also known by other names: ethical leader behavior (Kalshoven et al 2011b), leadership ethics (Ciulla 1995), moralized leadership (Fehr et al 2015), responsible leadership (Voegtlin et al 2012), and managerial ethical leadership (Enderle 1987). The growing scholarly interest in this topic has been strongly influenced by the work of Brown and Treviño, who used a social-scientific empirical-descriptive approach to define ethical leadership (Treviño et al , 2003, to develop a scale for measuring it (Brown et al 2005), and to propose new directions for future research into the antecedents and outcomes of ethical leadership (Brown and Treviño 2006;Brown and Mitchell 2010).…”

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“…Empathy, specifically, is a critical component of EI in leadership, precisely because it establishes an unspoken mental and emotional connection that enables the carrier to understand the hidden meaning in and behind words (Ioannidou & Konstantikaki, 2008).  Moralized leadership (Fehr, Kai Chi, & Dang, 2015) is an approach that views moralization as the primary process through which followers perceive their leaders as ethical. It assumes that leaders' moralized behaviors can positively influence the behaviors of followers by centering on six ethical leadership foundations: support of followers' welfare, fair treatment, team loyalty, practicing physical and spiritual purity, safeguarding collective performance, and granting followers their performance space.…”