The Anatomy of Ethical Leadership: To Lead Our Organizations in a Conscientious and Ethical Manner

Maximizing productivity without regard for human consequences, the quest for profit above all else, the stifling of individual personality and creative expression, a competitive atmosphere-these are the reigning features of the modern workplace. Although many writers have called attention to the debilitating effects of this dehumanization of the working environment, solutions have been less in evidence. In The Anatomy of Ethical Leadership, Lyse Langlois frames the problem in terms of ethics, pointing to the fact that managers are often uncertain how to integrate ethical considerations into their process of decision making. She explores the instrumental, often highly legalistic patterns of thought that pervade modern organizations and proposes instead a new emphasis on dialogue and on modes of reasoning that make room for the complexity of ordinary reality. To that end, she outlines a trajectory for ethical, responsible, and authentic decision making--the TERA model-that managers can use to evaluate workplace situations, taking into account three interrelated ethical perspectives: care, justice, and critique. Leaders who have mastered the art of ethical thinking, she argues, can in turn foster relationships among co-workers that are not only more human but ultimately more productive.

Lyse Langlois is an associate professor in the Department of Industrial Relations at Universite Laval, with a focus on leadership and workplace ethics. She is a member of the Inter-University Research Centre on Globalization and Work and the Institut d'ethique appliquee at Universite Laval. She also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Center for the Study of Leadership and Ethics at Pennsylvania State University.