Responsible Leadership as Virtuous Leadership

Kim Cameron

Journal of Business EthicsSeptember 2011

What is “responsible leadership”?

Components of Responsible Leadership

responsibility

Accountabilitya responsible leader is accountable for their performance

Dependabilitya responsible leader is dependable in achieving their promised performance

Components of Responsible Leadership

ability and resources to achieve an objective

“response-able”

Freedom of Actiona responsible leader is able to act freely

Empowermenta responsible leader is empowered to perform

Components of Responsible Leadership

play a supportive role

maintain a strong character

Role: Stakeholder Theorya responsible leader manages many stakeholders

“Responsible leadership can be understood as the art of building and sustaining social and moral relationships between business leaders and different stakeholders (followers), based on a sense of justice, a sense of recognition, a sense of care, and a sense of accountability for a wide range of economic, ecological, social, political, and human responsibilities.”

Components of Responsible Leadership

behaving in an appropriate manner

rarely referred to as a component of responsible leadership or the business world in general

Virtuousnessa responsible leader focuses on doing what is right or good

Virtuousness ≠ Ethicsethics is essentially the avoidance of negative consequences, not

necessarily the pursuit of good

Virtuousness = Ultimate Goodnessvirtuousness is the embodiment of goodness in character and behavior

for the sole purpose of doing good

3 Core Assumptions of Virtuous (Responsible) Leadership

eudaemonic assumption

inherent value assumption

amplification assumption

Eudaemonic Assumptionvirtuousness is inborn; an evolutionary component of the human condition that promotes healthy social engagement and welfare to support the continuance of the species

Inherent Value Assumptionvirtuousness is not a tool to acquire some specific outcome, but rather the embodiment of selflessness purely for the good of civilization

Amplification Assumptionvirtuousness is present in and valuable to all people; therefore, it is highly influential in that virtuous acts inspire others to act in spirit and creates a chain of “good” actions

Virtuous Leader = A Fixed Pointthe inherent ability and desire to do good is unchanging for all agents and can guide decision making toward moral and stable goals in difficult times

Virtuousness = Healthy ConsequencesFor Individuals

honesty

giving behavior

love

forgiveness

hope

transcendent meaning

gratitude

caring

empathy

commitment

satisfaction

motivation

positive emotions

effort

physical health

psychological health

Virtuousness = Healthy ConsequencesFor Organizations

compassion

integrity

forgiveness

trust

optimism

kindness

courage

relationship healing

increased profitability

increased productivity

increased quality

increased customer retention

decreased employee turnover

increased resilience

collaboration

Responsible Leadership…

responsibility

accountability

dependability

authority

empowerment

virtuousness humanity’s greatest attributes- addresses: what is the most responsible approach to leadership?

- often overlooked as a key component of responsible leadership