Leadership: A Case Study of Traits that Inspire Trust and Ethics

Importance and Key Contribution: In the 21st century there are many excellent examples of ethical and motivational leadership in organizations. Unfortunately there are just as there are many if not more examples of unethical... [ view full abstract ]

Importance and Key Contribution:
In the 21st century there are many excellent examples of ethical and motivational leadership in organizations. Unfortunately there are just as there are many if not more examples of unethical and unscrupulous leadership. Leaders continually communicate their personal values and ethics verbally and in writing; but they must demonstrate and apply these attributes to be believable. Perceptions of leaders and personal stories by and about the leaders often form the beliefs of followers. This study examined the moderating and mediating variables of trust and ethics on leadership in contemporary organizations. The importance of this study is that preconceived notions of whether a leader is perceived ethical and trustworthy may be as important as the outcomes that can be observed. Key contributions from this study will be that organizations can recognize the ethical leadership traits that inspire trust when searching for new leadership.
Theoretical Base:
Social learning theory and the concept of self-leadership, as well as social exchange theory of leadership provide the theoretical base for this study. The naturalistic paradigm formed a framework used to view the world and focus the lens of the study on leadership and ethics.
Research Questions & Method:
The research question that guided this study was what leadership traits and attributes contribute to a cohesive and collaborative ethical culture of trust? Using one non-profit organization as a case of success for study, this qualitative case study explored leadership with a specific focus on leadership qualities that contribute to the followers’ perceptions of trust and ethical behaviors. Data was collected through interviews with 13 individuals and participant observations. Coding revealed similar or contradictory thoughts and patterns or themes, which were then used for analysis. The constant comparative method was employed for analysis where information was extracted from the data collection and compared to emerging categories.
Findings:
Findings from the constant comparative analysis revealed that leadership traits of open communication, flexibility, integrity, open-mindedness, problem solving, and being visionary were the traits most associated with trust and ethical behavior. Communication was found to be the most important leadership attribute.
Implication:
The implications of this study will assist organizations to recognize the variable behaviors and traits of leaders that inspire trust and belief and also the leadership traits perceived to be aligned with ethical behaviors.

Key Words: Leadership, Ethics, Trust [ view full abstract ]

Key Words: Leadership, Ethics, Trust