INCREASING THE QUALITY OF LEADERSHIP AND IMPROVING TEAMWORK SUCCESS

Increasing The Quality Of Leadership And Improving Teamwork Success

Increasing The Quality Of Leadership And Improving Teamwork Success

The quality of leadership is a primary factor in the success or failure of any business. Individuals in positions of leadership have a direct influence on the level of commitment, motivation and performance of their organization. They are constantly in situations where their decisions impact others for good or bad, success or failure. Those in positions of leadership can enhance the effectiveness of their organization by deliberate efforts to improve their leadership abilities. Reflection on basic values and commitment to ethical principles are vital to dynamic and effective leaders. Leaders usually have charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Transformational leaders are characterized by high moral and ethical standards in each of the above dimensions. Experienced managers realize that the basics of management include an ethical responsibility to all employees.

Ethics involve learning what is right or wrong and then doing the right thing. Ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simple matters that are easily solved. Values, which guide how we ought to behave, are considered moral values; some of these are respect, honesty, fairness, and responsibility. How these values are applied is sometimes called moral or ethical principles. Ethics mean different things to different people, but generally, it is knowing what is right or wrong and doing what is right. Attention to ethics is critical during times of change and can be strong preventive medicine. In times of change much like those faced by healthcare today, values that were previously taken for granted are now strongly questioned.

Today, ethics in the workplace can be managed with codes of ethics, codes of conduct, policies and procedures. Ethics, with its continuing attention to doing the right thing, only asserts the obvious. These principles of the obvious can go right out the door during times of stress. Ethics in the workplace is about prioritizing moral values for the workplace and ensuring behaviors that partner with values that are important to management. An organizations code of ethics is its priority and focuses on certain ethical values in the workplace. Attention to ethics can promote a strong moral image and create positive public relations. People see ethical leaders as striving to operate with the utmost of integrity and honor. Aligning behaviors with values is critical to maintain trust and relations. Ethical values, consistently applied, are the cornerstone in building a successful and socially responsible department. Managers must deal with numerous ethical problems on a daily basis. There are potential conflicts of interest, wrongful use of resources, and even sexual harassment by fellow employees (McCann, 2003).

Managers know that ethical values and intentions are relatively meaningless unless they generate fair and just behaviors in the workplace. Practices that generate a list of ethical values, or codes of ethics, must also generate policies, procedures and training that translate those values to appropriate behaviors. Ethics policies are best made in groups with representatives from ...