Introduction
The attempts to define an efficient leader in organizational structures do not always coincide in their results, as various contradictions and preferences for opposite qualities exist. The somewhat traditional idea about leaders as dominant and authoritative seems to cede in current discourse, where flexibility and empathy become increasingly appreciated. The principle-centered approach appears to be constructed considering these gaining acknowledgment values and methods found in other humanistic models. Covey’s theory provides directives for genuine and grounded in personality leadership, and in contemporary cultural climate, it might obtain even more disciples.
Description Of The Leadership Style/Model Selected
Inclusion and autonomy can be the qualities that increase team members’ satisfaction. Participative leadership revolves around the idea that the decision-making processes should not be restricted to the hierarchical top (Chan, 2019). The approach encourages respect between a leader and their team and consequently enhances employees’ morale and retention. This type of leadership accentuates that the right to guide should be earned principally with competence, trust, and admiration from employees (Chan, 2019). Participative approach could be combined with servant leadership which is a holistic model that “engages followers in multiple dimensions (e.g., relational, ethical, emotional, spiritual), such that they are empowered to grow into what they are capable of becoming” (Eva et al., 2018, p. 111). The model focuses on leaders’ capacity for altruism and their ethical compass and puts these qualities in the center of its values system. Therefore, the participative leadership style and servant leadership model create an atmosphere of cooperation and reliance that might be absent from other approaches, such as authoritative leadership.
The Associations Between Participative and Servant Leadership and Covey’s Principle-Centered Model
Principle-centered, participative leadership and servant model have commonalities that possibly distinguish them from more traditional styles – they are grounded in modesty and respect for the human spirit. As well as the principle-centered approach, servant leadership is oriented toward helping, they both “see life as a mission, not as a career” (Covey, 1991, p. 26). The participative approach emphasizes the need for a leader’s guidance and influence on the prevailing atmosphere and job satisfaction (Chan, 2019). Similarly, one of Covey’s theory’s essential characteristics is that leaders are supposed to enhance positivity and consider the impact of their energy on a team (Covey, 1991). Additionally, the outlined styles and the model recognize the need to believe in their followership, which is especially pertinent to participative leadership, where the weight of decision-making is shared. Servant model and principle-centered and participative styles are comparable in the extent of their recognition of humanistic qualities for an efficient leader and that they do not reduce the significance of team members.
The Role of Ethics in Leadership Styles
Ethics at the workplace performs a vital function in facilitating communication and preventing malaise. The mode of interactions inside an organizational structure and its degree of ethicality can potentially impact not only employees’ comfort but also performance. In this respect, Saini and Sengupta (2016) state that “if we see the correlation between leadership effectiveness and ethical leadership, some previous researchers have shown a positive relationship between ethical leadership and perceived leader effectiveness” (p. 101). Research performed by Niemeyer and Cavazotte (2016) demonstrated that subordinates who perceived their leaders as ethical also estimated communication with their superior as more efficient and gratifying. Furthermore, ethics occupy an increasingly prominent role in “organizational sciences,” indicating the transition to more ethical leadership (Kalshoven & Taylor, 2018). Considering the weight of responsibility that leadership involves, ethics can serve as a starting point for difficult decisions.
Personal Perceptions of Ethics in Leadership
Appreciation for moral beliefs and understanding the need not to diminish team member’s dignity might be essential for an effective leadership style. From my perspective, these qualities are indispensable for leadership that results in employee satisfaction, and thus enhances performance. In order to guarantee compliance with social norms and respectfulness that warrants encouraging working atmosphere, leaders should possess an in-depth understanding of ethics. Adhering to the basic principles of this knowledge area can entail a more fulfilling professional life, and in the case of leadership, alleviate the doubt apropos of taken decisions and assist in corroborating them. Therefore, the significance of ethics in leadership, in my opinion, is emphasized by its capacity to delineate norms in interactions and secure communicative comfort, specifically for employees.
Description of Personal Leadership Style
Taking into account the described theories and contemporary approaches to organizational relationships, leadership grounded in business and management ethics with elements common both for principle-centered and servant styles seems to be optimal. Democratic aspects (employees’ empowerment, their involvement in decision-making, and enhanced autonomy) of participative style would also be consistent with the chosen principles. This leadership style would combine the need for a morally oriented personality associated with Covey’s theory and flexibility suggested by the participative approach.
Conclusively, the perception of an effective leader has changed to a certain degree since the middle of the last century. Covey’s principle-centered leadership might be viewed as a reflection of this process – traditional authority cedes to more human-centered and compromising styles, democratic and servant leadership serve as an example. Ethicality also seems to be a notable trend in the domain, the significance of which is difficult to overestimate. Therefore, collectivism, responsiveness, and ethical orientation are possibly defining features in emerging leadership.
References
Chan, S.C.H. (2019). Participative leadership and job satisfaction: The mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of fun experienced at work. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(3), 319–333.
Covey, S. R. (1991). Principle-centered leadership. Summit Books.
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2018). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 111-132.
Kalshoven, K., & Taylor, S. (2018). Leadership: Philosophical perspectives and qualitative analysis of ethics – looking back, looking forward, looking around. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(1), 1–3.
Niemeyer, J. R. L., & Cavazotte, F. D. S. C. N. (2016). Ethical leadership, leader-follower relationship and performance: A study in a telecommunications company. RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 17(2), 67–92.
Saini, D., & Sengupta, S. S. (2016). Responsibility, ethics, and leadership: An Indian study. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 5(1-2), 97–109.