Collective ethical leadership

Past HR Network Event

21 June 2016

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Over several decades, researchers in business ethics have found a positive relationship between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance. In addition, we know that senior managers set the ethical 'tone at the top' and that external regulators and internal boards can influence formal ethical business programmes.
But surveys consistently show there is gap between the stated ambition of operating as an ethical organisation and the actual experience of employees witnessing behaviours by line managers and co-workers which fall short.
So what more can HR functions be doing to help integrate ethical leadership practice into everyday ways of working at all levels to become part of the organisation culture?
In this briefing event we reviewed the research and presented practical case study evidence on claims that person-centred leadership (as opposed to process or task-centred leadership) can transform leadership behaviours across an organisation.
Topics for discussion included the evidence of the benefits of ethical leadership, the mismatch between aspiration and reality, the styles of leadership that can make a difference and how they can be integrated into culture and practice.

The evidence on ethical leaderhip
Penny Tamkin

What do employees attend to? The power of other's negative organisational experience as a catalyst in altering employee behaviour
Professor Rosalind Searle

Integrating ethics into organisational culture and leadership practice
Alison Carter

Ethical leadership - IES Perspectives on HR 2016