Leadership, Ethics and Irrational Behavior Essay

Leadership, Ethics and Irrational Behavior - Essay Example Definition of Terms To be able to understand the interrelationships and implications of the concepts, it is important to individually define the terms. Leadership is the manner by which a leader handles people and resources to achieve common organizational goals. The leader is a person who has the capability to influence a group of individuals in the process of attaining the objectives of the group (Northouse, 2009, p.3). Leadership can be affected by different factors such as the traits and the manner by which a person leads and influences others. For that matter, it can then be considered to have correlation with the character and behavior of a leader (p.5). This is where the concepts of ethics and irrational behaviors enter. Ethics is related to the decorum, which based on the purpose of the study is related to the proper attitude within an organization. One definition had been presented through the model of living code of ethics in a positive ethical organization which showed eth ical organizational identity as the product of the interaction between the authentic leadership, aligned processes, and ethical culture of the organization (Verbos et al., 2007, p.19). Based on the said definition, leadership and ethics in an organization are contributing factors to the success and achievement of goals. Irrational behavior is the third concept in the study which represents the challenges and the hindrances encountered by the leaders of organizations. This concept represents the lapse of judgment or mistake in the decision-making process committed by the leader of an organization. Due to the fact that the occurrence of such mistakes can be considered inevitable due to complexity of interactions of the different factors within an organization, the science of irrational behavior is one of the main subjects in the study (Brafman and Brafman, 2009, p.1). The Relationship of Ethics and Leadership It is an ideal notion that leadership and ethics work hand in hand for the a chievement of goals. Although perceived as good for the organization, this is not always the case due to the different factors that can affect the decision making process and the perception of a leader and the members of the group. In the study by Caldwell and colleagues, the leaders were described as â€Å"ethical stewards† and stress the importance of trust and leadership in an organization. The authors presented an ethical stewardship analysis that discusses the different issues of governance, the ethical stewardship characteristic and the leadership implication. One issue presented was the ethical focus. Based on the study, by focusing on ethical goals, there is commitment not only to the interest of the society but to the welfare, virtues and rights of the members of the society. In this case, the leader will not only focus on the profitability of the company but on the welfare of the people in the society (Caldwell et al., 2008, p.155). In general, the study presented t he positive influence of ethics in the achievement of a focused and rational form of leadership in an organization. One example that can be cited is the case of spiritual, philosophical or religious leaders. In the study by Heine, he focused on the relationship between the success in business and the decision-making ad interpersonal skills shaped by the philosophical and spiritual outlooks of the different cultures around the world and the different eras through history. Based on the conclusion of the study, a deep