The Role of Leaders in Influencing Unethical Behavior in the Workplace

Leaders and unethical/ethical behavior

People reason at six stages

Understood at three broad levels

Pre-conventional

Conventional

Principled

greatly affect the culture of the company

Leaders should be the key source of ethical behavior

through modeling process

Social Learning

importance of transformational/charismatic leadership

modeling process

employees observe and are likely to imitate

Leaders make decisions about rewards and punishments

Consequences facilitate learning in an anticipatory and vicarious manner

what drives unethical behavior

Social Exchange

interpersonal treatment that employees receive from leaders

tend to identify with other parties in exchange relationships

Social and transactional exchanges

Creating an ethical environment

Perceived Fairness

Trust in Supervisor

Liking and Affection for Supervisor

authentic leadership

Ethical Leadership

Moral managers,leaders

visible ethical role models

create social change

treat people with trust and respect

informal/formal ethical code

Levels of leadership

leaders should try to make themselves visible/not at a distance