Definition
Ethical leadership is the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships and the promotion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision-making.
Introduction
In this entry, the theories and conceptual models of ethical leadership will be described. Perhaps, it is necessary to first reflect on why ethical leadership is considered so important. The importance of strong leadership and role models impacts directly on the organizational climate and the way people behave within an institution (Kaptein et al. 2005: 299–311). According to Lawton and Paez (2014), the decisions by leaders may be far reaching, nonroutine, and complex, with high stakes, and require the exercise of judgment, and not the application of rules....
References
Bai X, Morris N (2014) Leadership and virtue ethics: a Daoist approach. Public Integrity 16(2):173–186
Edwards T (2010) A content and contextual comparison of contemporary leadership approaches with specific reference to ethical and servant leadership: an imperative for service delivery and good governance. Tydskrif vir Christelike Wetenskap. Eerste en Tweede Kwartaal 46:93–109
Heres L (2014) One style fits all? The content, origins, and effect of follower expectations of ethical leadership. Ipskamp Drukkers, Amsterdam
Heres L, Lasthuizen K (2012) What’s the difference? Ethical leadership in public, hybrid, and private sector Organizations. Journal of Change Management 12(4):441–466
Huberts LWJC, Kaptein M, Lasthuizen K (2007) A study of the impact of three leadership styles on integrity violations committed by police officers. An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management 3(4)
Jurkiewicz CL (2006) Soul food: Morrison and the transformative power of ethical leadership in the public sector. Public Integrity 8(3):245–256
Kaptein M, Huberts L, Avelino S, Lasthuizen K (2005) Demonstrating ethical leadership by measuring ethics. Public Integrity 7(4):299–311
Lawton A, Paez I (2014) Developing a framework for ethical leadership. Journal of Business Ethics 130(3):639–649
Lawton A, Rayner J, Lasthuizen K (2013) Ethics and management in the public sector. Routledge, New York
Menzel D (2015) Guest editorial: leadership in public administration: creative and/or ethical? Public Integrity 17(4):315–318
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this entry
Cite this entry
Webb, W. (2016). Ethical Leadership. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_1345-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_1345-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences