Ethical Theory Meets (Un)Ethical Practice

Session Submission Type: Symposium

Short Description

For ethical leadership to take place, ethical theory must make a practical connection with leadership praxis. This symposium will bridge the divide between theory and practice by using McManus and Perruci's five components of leadership model (leader, followers, goal, context, culture) to explore the application of specific ethical approaches to particular situations.

Detailed Abstract

This symposium will use McManus and Perruci's Five Components of Leadership Model (leader, followers, goal, context, culture) to better understand the application of a specific ethical theories (universal ethics, virtue ethics, Rawls' theory of justice and fairness, and the common good) to several case studies.
All presenters will use McManus and Perruci’s definition of leadership: “A process by which leaders and followers develop a relationship and work together toward a goal (or goals) within a . . . context shaped by cultural values and norms” (Understanding Leadership, p. 15).

The presenters in this symposium will emphasize the need to train leaders to comprehend both the various components of the leadership experience (the five components of the model) and draw upon multiple ethical theories in order to evaluate the concerns of each leadership component and make sound ethical decisions.

Sub Unit

• Leadership Scholarship

Chair

• Stanley J. Ward, Claremont Lincoln University

Individual Presentations

• Virtue Ethics as Applied to Professional Road Racing Cyclist Lance Armstrong - Matthew J. Sowcik, University of Florida; Austin D Council, University of Florida

• Rawls’s Theory of Justice and Fairness Applied to Followers With Mental Illness - Alexandra Perry, INTEGRIS Health

• The Common Good as Applied to Global Climate Change and the Paris Agreement - Robert McManus, Marietta College

• Universal Human Rights: The Challenge of Common Ethics in a Pluralistic World - Stephanie E. Raible, University of Minnesota Duluth