Unit 2 Moral Imagination: What is Responsible Leadership?

Overview

In Unit 1, we explored the idea of ethical leadership and the way in which leaders “cast shadows.” In Unit 2, we will begin the process of examining why leaders cast shadows instead of light and how they can master these forces. Shadow casters include unhealthy motivations, personality disorders, faulty decision-making, failure of moral imagination, moral disengagement, lack of ethical expertise, and contextual (group, organizational, societal) pressures that encourage people to set their personal standards aside.

However, in present times, we are witnessing situations where some leaders get very comfortable in their positions of authority and end up getting obsessed with the privilege of office. The result is that these individuals end up engaged in biased decision making due to mistaken assumptions, or lack of moral imagination. Leaders are supposed to be influential in the positive and followers usually look up and respect whatever the leaders have to offer.

In some cases, this respect is abused by leaders who overlook important factors which often bring about negativity. Quite often, leaders who make unethical decisions do not want to involve their followers, OR they impose their ideas to followers make them conformers by acting in a destructive behavior in a bid to obey their leaders (Johnson, C.E. 2018. Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership).

This unit will attempt to provide some insights so that we, as ethical leaders, do not engage in such destructive behaviour.

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:

  • Explain the key dilemmas responsible leaders face in a global multi-stakeholder society and why it is appropriate to present cross-cultural competence as the fundamental construct for responsible leadership.
  • Analyze how best to address motivations, improve moral decision making, acquire ethical knowledge and skills by resisting negative situational influences as healthy ethical environments are created.
  • Explain why moral imagination facilitates reasoning as it helps leaders step away from their typical mental script or schemas to recognize the moral elements of events.
  • Describe how responsible leadership is built on the foundation of a leader’s inner urge to serve and enable others, accompanied by human empathy and compassion.

Topics

This unit is divided into the following topics:

  1. Stepping in and out of the Shadows
  2. Moral Imagination
  3. Ethical Development
  4. Ethical Skills

Activity Checklist

Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.

Learning Activities

  • Read & Reflect: Read Chapter 2 of your Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership text.
  • Watch & Reflect: This activity will involve watching a video that focuses on the topic of moral disengagement and how this can affect a leader’s ability to lead.
  • Read & Reflect: For this activity, we will be looking at an article that discusses organizational cultures that can lead to morally unengaged leader’s.
  • Watch & Reflect: Here, we watch another video - this time, the focus is on a real example of moral imagination in action.
  • Read & Reflect: Read Chapter 1 from your Responsible Leadership text and this about ethical development and why this is important for leader’s.
  • Read & Reflect: Read Chapters 1 and 2 from your From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership text.
  • Read & Reflect: In this activity, we will look at how Machiavellian princples can be implemented by a leader to create a moral, ethical organizational culture.
  • Learning Lab: Prior to this unit’s Learning Lab you will complete a self-assessment from your textbook. Once completed, you will use the results to respond the questions provided. Be sure to come prepared and ready to share your findings and thoughts.

Assessment

  • Individual Assignment #1: This assignment is your first, of two, individual reflection papers. Using your own experiences, along with concepts we have explored in the course, you will respond to the question provided.

Resources

Here are the resources you will need to complete this unit:

  • Johnson, C. E. (2021). Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow. 7th Ed, Sage Publication Inc. - ISBN: 9781544351643 (alk. paper)
  • Maak, T.& Pless, N. M. (2006). Responsible Leadership. Routledge. - ISBN: 978-0-415-35581-0
  • Kraemer, H. (2011). From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Chapt. 1 & 2
  • Other online resources will be provided in the unit.

2.1 Stepping In and Out of the Shadows

We begin Unit 2 by building upon the foundation developed in Unit 1. After a brief introduction to this unit, the video below will continue to explore the ways in which leaders can “cast shadow’s” instead of light.

In addition to identifying the reason’s why shadows are cast, we will also narrow our focus to and begin to better understand how we, as leaders, can master these forces to ensure we are healthy, ethical, environments in which to operate.

The following video explains:

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

Unit 2 follows along with Chapter 2 in our Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow text. As you read Chapter 2 think about how it connects to some of the concepts and examples discussed in the video above.

Learning Activity - Watch and Reflect

The video below discusses moral disengagement. As you watch, think about the different ways in which leader’s can “cast shadows” and how this directly connects to morality.

Watch: Albert Bandura discuses Moral Disengagement

2.2 Moral Imagination

In this next section, we set out to critically examine immoral conduct by leaders. As you will see, immoral leaders often convince themselves that their immoral conduct is actually of benefit to an organization (or those they lead). This is achieved in a number of different ways but we, as ethical leaders, need to be aware of these pitfalls to ensure we do not create a toxic culture rooted in moral disengagement.

Once we are able to identify these traits, we can develop a sense of awareness to ensure that we, as a leader, conduct ourselves in a morale manner that creates a positive, engaging culture rooted in ethics and responsibility.

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

The article below presents the findings from a study that investigates a culture that can create morally unengaged leadership. As you read the article, try to imagine experiences in your own life that have created a similar outcomes:

Learning Activity - Watch and Reflect

After reading the above article, watch the video below. Here we take a look at a real, pragmatic example of moral imagination in action. As you watch, reflect on the conditions and outcomes that, ultimately, led to this shift towards “moral imagination”

Watch: Moral Imagination: Standing with the Poor in a Time of Crisis

2.3 Ethical Development

In this section, we shift our attention to focus on some of the components that help with our ethical development. Before we begin, however, it is critical that you understand that ethical development MUST be a consistent and ongoing focus of your development as a leader. To achieve this, one must not only seek out new challenges (as a leader), but one must also actively seek out feedback to assess how they handled situations in the context of how their decisions affected their followers.

This video will also introduce the idea of ethical competencies. Here we will look at the importance of engaging in moral reasoning and acting upon identified, professional values. Much of this development can only happen with experience, however, it is critical that we become aware of these competencies.

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

Read Chapter 1 in your Responsible Leadership text. As you read, consider how it applies to ethical development.

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

Next, read Chapters 1 and 2 in your From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership text. Again, carefully consider how these chapters directly connect to the importance of creating an ethical culture.

2.4 Ethical Skills

Finally, we attempt to integrate everything we have learned in Unit 2 together as we look at ethical skills. Here, we look at some critical skills needed to not only act ethically, as a leader, but also the skills needed to create an ethical culture around us. Once again, it is critical that we understand that these skills develop with experience. It is also important that we understand that these skills do not develop “by accident” - rather, they are skills we must actively learn and develop.

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

As a leader, you are probably familiar with The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli - those who prescribe to his theories are often called Machiavellians. In modern times, the principles outlined by Machiavelli are often not only practiced, but also celebrated. The following article, however, looks at a way an effective, ethical leader can embrace these Machiavellian principles and use them to create a moral, ethical culture.

Learning Lab

Before attending our Learning Lab for Unit 2, student’s are asked to prepare by completing the Self-Assessment 2.2 - The Propensity to Morally Disengage Scale found in Chapter 2 of their Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow text.

Once you have completed Self-Assessment 2.2, come to the Learning Lab prepared to discuss the following:

  • What do your results reveal about your tendency to excuse your unethical behavior? What steps can you take to avoid this form of faulty reasoning?
  • Describe a leader who acted unethically because she/he suffered from an inactive or overactive moral imagination. Explain why her/his moral imagination failed what she or he should have done differently.
  • What are the implications of the dynamic model of leading responsibly for a leader who works in different cultural setting?

Assessment

Your assessment for Unit 2 will be the first of two Individual Assignments.

Individual Assignment #1

This assignment will focus on the content from the Johnson text as well as the Kraemer text (Chapters 1 & 2 only). For this assignment, you will also be drawing upon your own life experience and your interactions with the “shadow-side” of leadership. Be sure to reflect in a meaningful way of those events, individuals, and life experiences that affected you (good or bad).

To Begin…

Using the readings and your own experience, write a 3-5 page reflective paper on ONE of the following options:

  1. Write a reflective paper on your most challenging ordeal experiencing the “shadow side” of leadership.

OR…

  1. Write a reflection paper on a specific personal crisis, or an ongoing circumstance within your over life experience.

Whatever option you choose, be sure to evaluate your ethical posture and consequential inter- and intra- personal wellness.

This assignment will be worth 10% of your final grade.

Additional Expectations

  • Integrate several quotes from the Kraemer and Johnson texts.
  • For this assignment, “first-person” narrative will be accepted.
  • 3-5 pages in length (double spaced)
Grading Rubric - Click to expand
Criteria Excellent Satisfactory Attempted
Description Component Clear, sufficiently detailed and easily understood description of the experience [learning resource(s) and or relevant personal or professional encounters] Adequate detail, moderately clear description of the experience [learning resource(s) and or relevant personal or professional encounters] Very limited detail, difficult to understand description of the experience [learning resource(s) and or relevant personal or professional encounters]
Reflection Component Strong effort to engage in personal reflection of the event with a focus on the student’s own perceptions, assumptions, involvement, response/reaction, behaviour and/or thinking, and considerations of underlying reasons. An attempt to engage in personal reflection of the event, and there is usually a moderate effort to discuss personal perceptions, assumptions, response/reaction, behaviour, thoughts and/or feelings. Limited description of experience or encounter, with little or no personal reflection of the event.
Application Component A strong effort is made to apply content from the course and course readings. This is evident by the integration of meaningful and relevant quotes, references, and examples. Evidence of attempts to apply content from the course and course readings are present but inconsistent. Quotes, references, and examples are evident but integration and connection could be stronger. No/Limited attempts have been made to apply content from the course and course readings OR there is no/limited integration of quotes/references, or examples.
Writing Mechanics Consistently uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Small number of minor grammatical or other writing errors. Consistent evidence of grammatical or other writing errors.

To submit your assignment, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “Individual Assignment #1” dropbox link.

Checking your Learning

Before you move on to the next unit, you may want to check to make sure that you are able to:

  • Explain the key dilemmas responsible leaders face in a global multi-stakeholder society and why it is appropriate to present cross-cultural competence as the fundamental construct for responsible leadership.
  • Analyze how best to address motivations, improve moral decision making, acquire ethical knowledge and skills by resisting negative situational influences as healthy ethical environments are created.
  • Explain why moral imagination facilitates reasoning as it helps leaders step away from their typical mental script or schemas to recognize the moral elements of events.
  • Describe how responsible leadership is built on the foundation of a leader’s inner urge to serve and enable others, accompanied by human empathy and compassion.