RSM Discovery Debat over Ethisch Leiderschap.

What is ethical leadership? What are the benefits of developing an ethical culture within an organisation? And how can leaders implement such a culture? These are some of the issues that are discussed in this RSM Discovery debate.

A few quotations:

Companies today are reproached for not adding value to society and for creating problems. In order to create new value propositions firms need strong leadership from people who can walk the talk. It’s not only about the wages employees earn, but also how firms can define the services that they provide, the products they make, where they are produced, and under what circumstances.

We have witnessed much media questioning in recent times about the morality of business leaders. Regardless of whether the media is right or wrong, all of this attention places ethics firmly on the agenda for organisations.

As a result, organisations need to care more about their reputations and consider the consequences of having leaders under the ethical spotlight: the impact it can have on their ability to recruit and retain the best talent, for example, or the possible affects on customer loyalty.

“Power without ethics is worthless - ethics without power is powerless.”

Leaders need to stand out as ethical role models for organisations, not just in the work environment, but also outside of it. If they are not role models then it is easy for people to assume that the same lack of ethics runs throughout the company.

Companies must revisit their business models and ask upon which values they are built. Then issues such as child labour and climate change can begin to be properly addressed. And it’s through this approach that organisations can become part of the solution.

Bron: Steffen Giessner, Rob van Tulder and Marius van Dijke take a look at ethical leadership from HR, CEO and ethics points of view. This RSM Discovery Debate is moderated by Russell Gilbert, editor of RSM Discovery magazine.

Leiderschap is een belangrijk onderdeel van de Parttime Master Bedrijfskunde, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. Meer informatie over deze deeltijd opleiding treft u hier of op een van de voorlichtingsavonden.