Secondee: María Pilar Gamarra, CUNEF University, Spain Hosting Organisation: S/I ERHVERVSHUS SJAELLAND, Denmark Secondment period: 17/07/2024 – 19/08/2024
This report summarizes the activities and outcomes of my secondment at S/I ERHVERVSHUS SJAELLAND, Denmark. In this secondment, I have worked on a study focused on how personal moral characteristics, specifically the moral attentiveness and moral identity of the leader, can influence ethical leadership within organizations. I could engage in fruitful discussions with staff from ERHVERVSHUS SJAELLAND and colleagues at SDU Campus in Kolding and Sonderborg.
Previous Study and New Dimensions of Ethical Leadership
In a previous study, using the traditional scale of ethical leadership, executives’ self-perception of their behavior according to ethical standards was assessed. This analysis allowed executives to reflect on how closely they align with ethical expectations in their leadership roles.
For contemporary executives, the measures and factor analysis of the collected data reveal the emergence of a new distribution of the dimensions of ethical leadership. This new distribution contrasts with the traditional dimensions of “moral person” and “moral manager”. This finding suggests that the ethical demands and expectations for today’s leaders may have evolved, reflecting a shift in how executives understand and practice ethical leadership today.
Key Definitions
• Moral Attentiveness: Defined as the ability of leaders to recognize and focus on the ethical aspects of decisions and actions within the organizational environment. The leader can perceive the moral implications of their decisions, allowing them to act under ethical principles.
• Moral Identity: Refers to the extent to which a leader considers morality as a central and integral part of their self-concept. Leaders with a high moral identity view their ethical values as fundamental to who they are and how they behave in their leadership role.
• Moral Person: Refers to a leader who embodies ethical values in their behavior. A moral person is seen as honest, trustworthy, and fair, serving as a role model for ethical behavior through their actions and decisions.
• Moral Manager: Refers to a leader who actively promotes ethical behavior in others within the organization. A moral manager not only models ethical behavior but also establishes systems, policies, and practices that encourage and enforce ethical conduct among employees.
Methodology
Validated scales specifically designed to capture these concepts were used to measure the influence of moral attentiveness and moral identity on ethical leadership in organizations. The data collected were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This methodology allows for evaluating complex relationships between latent and observed variables, providing a precise view of how moral attentiveness and moral identity positively influence the manifestation of ethical leadership in organizations.
Preliminary Results
The analyses conducted so far have shown a positive and significant influence of both moral attentiveness and moral identity on ethical leadership. Specifically, executives who exhibit high levels of these moral characteristics tend to engage in leadership that is more aligned with ethical principles, suggesting that strengthening these qualities could be key to promoting a more ethical organizational culture.
Conclusion
This work highlights the importance of developing and fostering moral attentiveness and moral identity in organizational leaders as fundamental strategies to enhance ethical leadership. It is recommended to continue analyzing these data and exploring interventions that can strengthen these moral qualities in executives.
During my secondment, I also had valuable discussions with colleagues at SDU Campus in Kolding and Sonderborg to update them on the progress of Work Package 3 and discuss the findings from the two studies.
Overall, the one-month secondment at S/I ERHVERVSHUS SJAELLAND, Denmark, was highly productive, significantly advancing both studies and fostering collaborative discussions.