Ethical leadership is more important than ever, according to new research from the HOW Institute for Society. Their 2022 State of Moral Leadership in Business Report reveals that U.S. workers have a strong desire to work with and for their moral leaders. Additionally, data collected from his 2,500 employees in various sectors shows that when managers and organizations lead with moral authority, teams have a positive impact on performance.
These findings also highlight the reality that CEOs create more avenues of ethical leadership for better business outcomes. Companies with the strongest ethical cultures outperform others by about 40% in all measures of performance, including key areas such as customer satisfaction, employee loyalty, innovation, adaptability and growth. Why it matters to employees and how good ethical leadership can help improve performance. Let’s dig into the findings.
Four Pillars of Moral Leadership in Business
in recent editions Fortune’s Leadership Next Podcast, Vasant Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis International, said one of the biggest challenges facing companies around the world today is “to keep human organizations mentally fit and in the culture they believe in. What should I do about it?” The State of Moral Leadership in Business report states that having a healthy and inspiring culture within an organization relies on the following four pillars of moral leadership:
- Lead the purpose: Leaders acquire moral authority when they have a purpose that they believe is worthy, valuable, and noble, and when this purpose serves the advancement of the organization.
- Inspire and Elevate Others: Ethical leaders create an atmosphere in which people feel trusted and are passionate and loyal to their organization’s mission.
- Animate by value: Moral leaders live their values and act according to their principles, even if it makes them uncomfortable to do so. This brings in noble qualities such as patience, courage, and empathy.
- Build moral muscle. Being a moral leader requires constant questioning of right and wrong, fairness and justice. They build moral wisdom within their organizations by enlisting others in these considerations and holding them accountable for their actions.
Good ethical leadership in high demand
Confidence in the business environment extends not only throughout the company hierarchy but also through the relationship between the business and its customers. 88% of employees believe moral leadership is more urgent than ever. The study also found that the demand for moral leadership holds true across sectors. 92% of public sector employees and 87% of private sector employees believe that ethical leaders are needed in the workplace today.
Additionally, the demand for good leadership remains steady across levels of organizational responsibility, with 90% of new hires saying moral leadership is important. The demand was at roughly the same level among associate-level, middle-management, middle- and senior-level directors, and senior-level and executive staff employees, the report noted.
Lack of examples of ethical leaders
Since 2020, the number of top morale managers in business has increased, while the percentage of morale leaders in other tiers has decreased slightly. The percentage of moral leaders is disappointingly low across all layers of the business and there is still work to be done.
Interestingly, the distribution of moral leadership is not evenly experienced across levels of organizational responsibility. Executives are most likely to experience consistent moral leadership from managers (31%) and middle managers are least likely (11%).
Ethical leaders inspire their teams with high ethical standards, respect, learning and trust
The energy emanating from moral leaders is truly contagious and acts like a rippling wave on those around them. In fact, as stated in the report, employees whose managers ranked as the highest morale leaders had the same behavioral expectations of people on their teams compared to employees working under the lowest morale leaders 7 times more likely to agree they again:
- Team members are eight times more likely to agree to speak up when they see something unethical.
- Team members are eight times more likely to agree to take full responsibility for their actions and not hide their mistakes.
- Team members are eight times more likely to believe they respect each other, even if there is conflict or agreement.
- They are nine times more likely to believe they have the freedom to learn new skills.
Good moral leadership inspires good organizational performance
The impact of moral leadership is not limited to employees. An employee with a top-notch CEO is five to six times more likely to agree that the organization is ready to satisfy its customers and improve its performance in the coming year. According to the report, these employees are eight times more likely than him to believe their organization can adapt quickly to change. In fact, 94% of employees who have a CEO first-class in moral leadership believe their manager is effective in achieving business goals.
With the rapid emergence of issues of concern around the world in recent years, the business leaders on Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast are finding it increasingly difficult for people in entry-level jobs. , stressed that they are experiencing social vulnerabilities including food insecurity, housing insecurity, and population growth. These issues exacerbate the need for an ethical culture.
Leaders who practice moral and ethical behavior can help businesses produce positive results as long as they invest in building a more ethical culture.
