The Lord has called us to be leaders of excellence and good stewards of what has been entrusted to us; therefore, in this season, we will continue to look at how ethics play into our leadership. I would like to examine a few theories. Saha (2014) explains that corporate governance is set up to help organizations operate ethically and serve their patrons, stakeholders, employees, and shareholders. The three theories, deontological, teleological, and utilitarian, each serve varying outcomes and rationales.

· The deontological theory supports the intentions of the person behind the act, and even though the outcome may be okay, not all acts are considered right.

· Utilitarian theory is more about numbers, doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

· Lastly, the teleological theory considers the results first to determine if the actions are good or bad. Each theory has a place and season of use, but it is easy to compromise if that is all assessed.

For example, in a disaster, there are different rules for medical workers. It is based on the utilitarian theory of doing the greatest good for the greatest number. However, in a normal workday, medical workers are taught to trust the process and follow protocols; if one breaks the set rules, the outcome is not the first thing everyone looks at, so that would be more like the deontological theory. The example I have witnessed for the teleological theory is less positive, as the leader was corrupt and manipulated others to get the results, and eventually, the scheme caught up to the organization in a disastrous downfall. When the organization focuses only on the outcomes, it opens the door to moral disengagement.

In what ways have you witnessed the ethical theories played out?

Imprint Leadership Blog

ARE YOU MORALLY ENGAGED? PART TWO

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