Ethical leadership can be defined as the process through leaders attempt to accomplish morally defensible goals in a morally defensible manner. These slides review what it means to be an ethical leader and the process for being one.

1. Chapter 4:
Ethical Leadership
How to lead change in a morally
defensible way

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define ethics and ethical leadership
2. Describe frameworks for guiding ethical behavior
3. Contrast ethical decision making frameworks
4. Present guiding principles for ethical leadership

3. DEFINING ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

4. Leadership can be defined as…
The process through which an individual attempts
to intentionally influence another individual or
group in order to accomplish a goal

5. According to this definition, it matters little if a
leader hurts people or causes other harm as long
as that is the leader’s intention and purpose

6. And any goal can be pursued, including selfish
personal gain, retaliation against others, or
capricious desires.

7. According to this definition, leaders can use
intentional tactics that can be legitimately
classified as evil or wicked such as…

8. …sadistically inflicting pain, suffering, or
humiliation on others

9. …systematically using of fear and terror as a
means of coercion

10. …making false statements with a deliberate
intention to deceive without any justifiable reason

11. …using power selfishly for personal gain at the
expense of the weak and less powerful

12. …ignoring the law and breaking accepted rules of
behavior

14. Maybe leadership should have an
ethical component.
Maybe we should demand ethical leadership in our leaders

15. Ethical leadership is defined as…
The process through which an individual attempts to
intentionally influence another individual or group in order to
accomplish a morally defensible goal in a morally defensible
manner

16. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LEAD IN A
MORALLY DEFENSIBLE MANNER?

17. Avoid clearly immoral and
unambiguous behaviors and
outcomes
How to act in a
morally defensible
manner

18. Polleverywhere
According to this,
some behaviors are
clearly immoral and
unambiguous.
Give examples

19. Avoid clearly immoral and
unambiguous behaviors and
outcomes
Try to be a virtuous person
How to act in a
morally defensible
manner

20. Try to be virtuous
Be seen as a person of good character who has attained
ideal virtues

21. Problems with trying to be virtuous
1. Disagreements over what values and virtues should be paramount
2. Virtues focus on the individual and not actions
3. Virtues are often seen in terms of black and white instead of shade of gray
• “Moral absolutists”

22. Avoid clearly immoral and
unambiguous behaviors and
outcomes
Try to be a virtuous person
Try to act in an ethical way
How to act in a
morally defensible
manner

23. Try to act in an ethical way
Emphasizes the importance of a leader’s actions or duties to the people being
served
Example: Is it unethical for a pharmacy student to miss class?

24. Avoid clearly immoral and
unambiguous behaviors and
outcomes
Try to be a virtuous person
Try to act in an ethical way
Seek outcomes that are morally
defensible
How to act in a
morally defensible
manner

25. Seek outcomes that are morally defensible
Utilitarianism: Maximize utility or benefit to the most people
Ends justifies the means

26. Problems with utilitarianism
1. Requires leaders to reliably forecast the future benefits of an action
2. Leaders often use “motivated reasoning” to justify immoral actions
Motivated reasoning has been used to justify slavery,
genocide, and a host of other horribly immoral actions

27. SUMMARY OF ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS &
APPROACHES

28. “What does it mean to be ethical in
this situation?”
“What kind of person should I
strive to be?”
Virtue Theories
“In what ethical conduct should I
engage?”
Deontological Theories (Duty)
Teleological Theories
(Consequences)

29. Avoid clearly immoral and
unambiguous behaviors and
outcomes
Virtue theories
Deontological Theories (Duty)
Teleological Theories
(Consequences)
How to act in a
morally defensible
manner

30. ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
What to do when faced with a potential ethical problem

31. Types of Decisions Faced by Pharmacists
Rule of law
backed by
penalty
Legal
Medical
evidence to
maximize
health
Clinical
Economic
principles
Economic
Knowledge
about
managing
people and
things
Manager
Principles of
correct
moral
conduct
Ethical
Subjective, ContextualObjective, Rules Based

32. 1. Gather the Facts
2. Identify Type of Ethical Problem
3. Analyze the Problem
4. Explore Practical Alternatives
5. Act
6. Evaluate Process & Outcome
Ethical Decision Making Process

33. 1. Gather the Facts
2. Identify Type of Ethical Problem
3. Analyze the Problem
4. Explore Practical Alternatives
5. Act
6. Evaluate Process & Outcome
Ethical Decision Making Process

34. What Type of Ethical
Problem?
Ethical Distress
Type A
Type B
Ethical Dilemma
Locus of Authority
Problem

35. 1. Gather the Facts
2. Identify Type of Ethical Problem
3. Analyze the Problem
4. Explore Practical Alternatives
5. Act
6. Evaluate Process & Outcome
Ethical Decision Making Process

36. Ethical Choices Make Tradeoffs Between:
• Do no harmNon maleficence
• Prevent Harm
• Bring about good
Beneficence
• Self determinationAutonomy
• Faithfulness
• Duty
Fidelity
• TruthfulnessVeracity
• Moral Rightness
• Equity
Justice

37. Beneficence
Non-
Maleficence

38. 1. Gather the Facts
2. Identify Type of Ethical Problem
3. Analyze the Problem
4. Explore Practical Alternatives
5. Act
6. Evaluate Process & Outcome
Ethical Decision Making Process

39. Post choice evaluation: an often overlooked step
Necessary part of learning

40. Summary
Ethics is about making choices
• Absolutist versus relativistic
• Ends versus means
• “What kind of person do I want to be?” versus “In what kind of behavior should I
engage?”
• Deontological versus teleological