Discussion posts should reflect scholarly analysis and interpretation of the topic as well as supporting research.
Follow APA formatting guidelines (current edition) to integrate your research and cite your sources.
Each post (the initial post as well as the response posts) should be between 300-500 words in length.
Discussion 1
Elizabeth R.
An organizational leader needs to know and understand the organizational values and framework of the organization to maximize the potential of the organization. As a leader, personal values and behaviors should be the first analysis that is conducted.
The most important role for the leader of the organization is reinforcement in word and deed of the values of the organization (Schein, 1983). Identifying and prioritizing what is important both personally and professionally will raise awareness to what behaviors the leader values from other top-level leadership and subordinates. This introspection will provide a starting point of how ethics and values are integrated into the organizational culture starting at the highest level.
Observation of management and employees can familiarize leadership with traditions and habits in daily operations within the organization. Observing how business is conducted and what behaviors are valued and rewarded will provide a basic understanding of how the values and ethics are implemented.
This can be found in not only behavioral habits of individuals but also employee work appraisals. Ethical expectations can be integrated into an employee's formal role to make ethical behavior at work relevant and rewarding (Selvarajan, 2009). Leaders can analyze the appraisal system and monitor the outcomes based on the results of the assessments.
Surveying employees is a common way to get feedback from within the organization. An ethical beliefs scale developed by Daniel et al. (1997) is used for measuring individual differences in beliefs. This scale includes five dimensions of ethical beliefs: personal integrity issues, corporate integrity issues, individual rights issues; environmental issues; and international issues (Selvarajan, 2009).
This type of scale can be modified to measure what is specifically needed to be measured for the organization. Another measure that can be used is the Likert scale which is a method of attributing quantitative value to qualitative data. This scale can measure the perceived leadership ethics and ethical attitudes in the organization and provide data to determine the level of shared values and ethics.
Discussion 2: Role of a Leader in Shaping Organizational Behavior and Ethics
A Leader has a great role in shaping the organizational values and ethics. The leader makes policy decisions that guide other employees on the behaviors. Their action is also a major source of organizational behavior and ethics. The individual actions of the leader also influence how the other will perceive the ethics and shape the organizational behavior (Downe, Cowell, & Morgan, 2016).
One of the effective ways of motivating people to act in a certain way is reinforcing the correct behaviors with beneficial and appealing rewards (Pinder, 2014). The implementation of the expectancy theory of motivation greatly encourages the acceptable ethical and behaviors in the given organization. Using this theory, a leader can provide the three motivational aspects of the theory to reinforce the acceptable behaviors
Through consistent policies, communication and the instance of acceptable organizational behaviors, the employees develop an expectation of being rewarded for behaving in a certain way (Pinder, 2014). This expectation fulfills the expectancy element. A leader will enforce this expectation by the evidence of rewards for the efforts within the organization. Once an employee achieves the set targets and behaviors, the instrumental aspect of the theory is fulfilled when such employees receive the reward as had been expected (Fudge &Schlacter, 1999). The instrumental aspect confirms to the employees the significance of meeting the expected behavior.
In order for the rewards offered for ethical and correct behaviors in the organization to achieve the desired outcomes, it should have meaning and value to the employees.
It is, therefore, crucial for the leader to identify and utilize the motivational elements that appeal to the needs of the employees. When the employees find benefits in the reward, they are most likely to seek more rewards by behaving in the acceptable ways (Pinder, 2014). Eventually, the beneficial rewards will reinforce and subsequently change the ethical and behavioral aspect of the employee, which will lead to a change in the organizational culture.