Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Integrating Moral Personhood and Moral Management: A Confucian Approach to Ethical Leadership

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article clarifies the relationship between moral personhood and moral management in ethical leadership from a Confucian perspective. Drawing from four Confucian classics, this study integrates the leader’s ethical values and activities undertaken to promote virtues in followers. The harmonisation of moral personhood and moral management is facilitated by two cardinal Confucian beliefs: innate human nature and moral self-cultivation. From a Confucian viewpoint, all human beings are endowed with a good nature that enables them to become virtuous persons and leaders. Ethical leaders subdue their selfish desires and extend their natural moral feelings of true goodness, righteousness, propriety and wisdom to others. Moral personhood and moral management are inseparable because to cultivate oneself morally is to help others to become moral persons. By synthesising moral personhood and moral management, a Confucian worldview of ethical leadership contributes to leadership studies in two main ways: safeguarding against the leader’s abuse of power, and advancing organisational change through path-shaping.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

There is no data set as this is a philosophical paper.

References

  • Ames, R. T. (2011). Confucian role ethics. A vocabulary. The Chinese University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ames, R. T., & Rosemont, H. (Trans.) (1998). The Analects of Confucius: A philosophical translation. New York: Ballantine Books

  • Bai, X., & Morris, N. (2014). Leadership and Virtue Ethics. Public Integrity, 16(2), 173–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bao, Y., & Li, C. (2019). From moral leadership to positive work behaviours: The mediating roles of value congruence and leader-member exchange. Frontiers of Business Research in China, 13(1), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behaviour. Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, M. E., & Trevino, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17, 595–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, M. E., Trevino, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, W.-T. (1963). Instructions for practical living and other Neo-Confucian writings by Wang Yang-ming. Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cumbo, L. J. (2009). Ethical leadership: The quest for character, civility, and community. Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, 47(4), 726–726.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, F. D., & Hughes, T. R. (2020). Moral dimensions of leadership. Oxford Research Encyclopedia, Education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.785

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, G. (2015). Anthropological accounts of leadership: Historical and geographical interpretations from indigenous cultures. Leadership, 11(3), 335–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, R. E., & Stewart, L. (2006). Developing ethical leadership. Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, D. K. (2007). The four books: The basic teachings of the later Confucian tradition. Hackett Publishing Co Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant Leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gu, Q., Tang, T.L.-P., & Jiang, W. (2015). Does moral leadership enhance employee creativity? Employee identification with leader and leader-member exchange (LMX) in the Chinese context. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(3), 513–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackett, R. D., & Wang, G. (2012). Virtues and leadership: An integrating conceptual framework founded in Aristotelian and Confucian perspectives on virtues. Management Decision, 50(5), 868–899.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, K. O. (2006). Perspectives on global moral leadership. In D. L. Rhode (Ed.), Moral leadership: The theory and practice of power, judgement and policy (pp. 291–300). Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haughey, D. J. (2007). Ethical relationships between instructor, learner and institution. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 22(2), 139–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hazard, G. C., Jr. (1995). Law, morals, and ethics. Southern Illinois University Law Journal, 19, 447–458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Illies, R., & Morgenson & Nahrgang, J.D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader-follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 373–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ivanhoe, P. J. (2009). Readings from the Lu-Wang school of neo-Confucianism, translated with introductions and notes. Hackett.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knights, D., & O’Leary, M. (2006). Leadership, ethics and responsibility to the other. Journal of Business Ethics, 67(2), 125–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lashway, L. (1996). Ethical leadership. ERIC Digest, 107, June, 1–4. https://www.vtaide.com/png/ERIC/Ethical-Leadership.htm.

  • Lau, D. C. (1979). Confucius: The Analects. Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lemoine, G. J., Hartnell, C. A., & Leroy, H. (2019). Taking stock of moral approaches to leadership: An integrative review of ethical, authentic and servant leadership. Academy of Management Annals, 13(1), 148–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine, M. P., & Boaks, J. (2014). What does ethics have to do with leadership? Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 225–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monahan, K. (2012). A review of the literature concerning ethical leadership in organisations. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 1(5), 56–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullins, L. J. (1995). Management and organisational behaviour. Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, T. L. (2003). The ethics of authentic transformational leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 14, 67–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Price, T. L. (2008). Leadership ethics: An introduction. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Provis, C. (2017). Confucianism, virtue, and wisdom. In A. J. G. Sison (Ed.), Handbook of virtue ethics in business and management (pp. 425–434). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Provis, C. (2020). Business ethics, Confucianism and the different faces of ritual. Journal of Business Ethics, 165, 191–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riggio, R. E., Zhu, W., Reina, C., & Maroosis, J. A. (2010). Virtue-based measurement of ethical leadership: The leadership virtues questionnaire. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 62(4), 235–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, V. M. J. (2001). Prototypes, virtues and the ethics of practice. Journal of Educational Administration, 39(6), 521–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, S. K., & George, W. M. (2011). Servant leadership versus transformational leadership in voluntary service organisations. Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, 32(1), 60–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sergiovanni, T. J. (1992). Moral leadership: Getting to the heart of school improvement. Jossey-Bass.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sergiovanni, T. J. (2005). The virtues of leadership. The Educational Forum, 69(2), 112–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shakeel, F., Kruyen, P., & Van Thiel, S. (2018, November). Development of the broader ethical leadership scale. Paper presented at the Netherlands institute of governance conference, University of Leiden, The Hague.

  • Shakeel, F., Kruyen, P. M., & Van Thiel, S. (2019). Ethical leadership as process: A conceptual proposition. Public Integrity, 21(6), 613–624.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slingerland, E. Transl. (2003). Confucius Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

  • Solinger, O. N., Jansen, P. G. W., & Cornelissen, J. P. (2020). The emergence of moral leadership. Academy of Management Review, 45(3), 504–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storr, L. (2004). Leading with integrity: A qualitative research study. Journal of Health Organisation and Management, 18(6), 415–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stouten, J., van Dijke, M., Mayer, D. M., De Cremer, D., & Euwema, M. C. (2013). Can a leader be seen as too ethical? The curvilinear effects of ethical leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 24, 680–695.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stratt, R. J. (2004). Ethical leadership. Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2013). Confucius. Bloomsbury.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2016). Understanding creativity in East Asia: Insights from Confucius’ concept of junzi. International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation, 4(1), 51–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2017a). A Confucian perspective of self-cultivation in learning: Its implications for self-directed learning. Journal of Adult & Continuing Education, 23(2), 250–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2017b). A Confucian conception of critical thinking. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 51(1), 331–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2018). To be more fully human: Freire and Confucius. Oxford Review of Education, 44(3), 370–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2020a). Confucian philosophy for contemporary education. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2020b). An ethical foundation for global citizenship education: A neo-Confucian perspective. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 41(4), 446–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2020c). A Confucian interpretation of creativity. The Journal of Creative Behaviour, 54(3), 636–645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2021a). Mindfulness and morality: Educational insights from Confucius. Journal of Moral Education, 50(3), 356–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2021b). Confucian self-cultivation and the paradox of moral education. In M. Peters, T. Besley, & H. Zhang (Eds.), Moral education and the ethics of self-cultivation: Chinese and western perspectives (pp. 79–92). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2023a). Mindful leadership for schools: Wisdom from Confucius. Bloomsbury.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2023). A Daoist understanding of mindful leadership. Leadership. https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150231157450

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torfing, J. (1999). Towards a Schumpeterian workfare postnational regime: Path-shaping and path-dependency in Danish welfare state reform. Economy and Society, 28(3), 369–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treviño, L. K., & Brown, M. E. (2004). Managing to be ethical: Debunking five business ethics myths. The Academy of Management Executive, 18(2), 69–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trevino, L., Brown, M., & Hartman, L. (2003). A qualitative investigation of perceived executive ethical leadership: Perceptions from inside and outside the executive suite. Human Relations, 6(1), 5–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treviño, L. K., Hartman, L., & Brown, M. (2000). Moral person and moral manager: How executives develop a reputation for ethical leadership. California Management Review, 42(4), 128–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tu, W.-M. (1968). The creative tension between jên and li. Philosophy East and West, 18(1/2), 29–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tu, W.-M. (1985). Confucian thought: Selfhood as creative transformation. State University of New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tu, W.-M. (1998). Probing the ‘three bonds’ and ‘five relationships’ in Confucian humanism. In W. H. Slote & G. A. DeVos (Eds.), Confucianism and the family (pp. 121–136). State University of New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Norden, B. W. (2001). Mengzi (Mencius). In P. J. Ivanhoe & B. W. Van Norden (Eds.), Readings in classical Chinese philosophy (2nd ed., pp. 115–159). Hackett Publishing Company Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Norden, B. W. (2008). Mengzi: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing Co., Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Norden, B. W. (2013). “Few are able to appreciate the flavours”: Translating the Daxue and the Zhongyong. Journal of Chinese Studies, 56, 295–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Wart, M. (2014). Contemporary varieties of ethical leadership in organisations. International Journal of Business Administration, 5(5), 27. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijba.v5n5p27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weaver, G. R., Trevino, L. K., & Agle, B. (2005). “Somebody I look up to”: Ethical role models in organisations. Organisational Dynamics, 34, 313–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, P. (1942). Morality and ethics. The Journal of Philosophy, 39(14), 381–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whetstone, J. T. (2001). How virtue fits within business ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 33(2), 101–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., Zhou, F., & Mao, J. (2018). Ethical leadership and follower moral actions: Investigating an emotional linkage. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1881–1881.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, W., Zheng, X., He, H., et al. (2019). Ethical leadership with both “moral person” and “moral manager” aspects: Scale development and cross-cultural validation. Journal of Business Ethics, 158, 547–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China

    Charlene Tan

Authors
  1. Charlene Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charlene Tan.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

Not applicable.

Informed Consent

Not applicable.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tan, C. Integrating Moral Personhood and Moral Management: A Confucian Approach to Ethical Leadership. J Bus Ethics 191, 167–177 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05447-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05447-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation