Leadership Ethics: An Introduction

Description

Are leaders morally special? Is there something ethically distinctive about the relationship between leaders and followers? Should leaders do whatever it takes to achieve group goals? Leadership Ethics uses moral theory, as well as empirical research in psychology, to evaluate the reasons everyday leaders give to justify breaking the rules. Written for people without a background in philosophy, it introduces readers to the moral theories that are relevant to leadership ethics: relativism, amoralism, egoism, virtue ethics, social contract theory, situation ethics, communitarianism, and cosmopolitan theories such as utilitarianism and transformational leadership. Unlike many introductory texts, the book does more than simply acquaint readers with different approaches to leadership ethics. It defends the Kantian view that everyday leaders are not justified in breaking the moral rules.

Terry L. Price is associate professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. He is the author of Understanding Ethical Failures in Leadership and co-editor of The Values of Presidential Leadership, The Quest for Moral Leaders, and the three-volume reference work The International Library of Leadership.

"Price subtly examines the justifiability of rule breaking characteristic of leaders from the standpoint of the most prominent ethical theories, with acute commentary on pertinent work in psychology and much else. His exposition is clear, his arguments rigorous, his conclusions sometimes provocative but always worth taking seriously." -Ed Hartman, Stern School, New York University "Terry Price does great service to those of us who are seriously interested in the ethics (and ethical failings) of leaders. Merging philosophy and psychology Price enhances our understanding of ethics and human behavior." -Ronald E. Riggio, Kravis Leadership Institute, Claremont McKenna College "With this work, Price extends his significant contribution to the field of leadership ethics. Filled with clear examples and connections to empirical research, the book makes his theory as accessible as it is thought-provoking. This is a 'must have' for students and leadership scholars alike." -Ellen Van Velsor, Senior Fellow, Center for Creative Leadership "Terry Price is one of the most insightful and creative writers on ethics and leadership. He is also one of the few who has something original to say about a topic that that has many self-proclaimed experts. This book is sophisticated but also accessible, based on classic philosophy but also the latest empirical work, and one that will provide students as well as scholars with a deeper and richer understanding of an important and timely subject." -Kenneth P. Ruscio, President, Washington and Lee University