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United States Fire Administration
Chief Officer Training
Curriculum
Leadership
Module 5:
Concepts in Ethical Leadership
Objectives
United States Fire Administration
 Analyze how individual ethical behavior
impacts decision-making and leadership in
organizational and life settings
 Recognize the risks and rewards of
ethical/principled decision-making
 Identify ethical dilemmas and utilize
appropriate models for making effective
ethical decisions
 Evaluate leadership responsibility as it relates
to ethics and values within the fire department
LDR 5-2
Overview
United States Fire Administration
 Opportunity to explore personal
leadership development needs and to
apply concepts of ethical leadership
 Gain an understanding of the basic
concepts of ethical leadership
 Participate in analysis and application of
the various of ethical decision-making
models
LDR 5-3
Concepts in Ethical Leadership
United States Fire Administration
 Process used to determine correct
thinking and behavior
 The study of ethics grew out of
philosophy, and ethics is a subset of that
discipline
 One studies ethical systems in the
context of decision-making
 You will discuss several ethical systems
LDR 5-4
and apply them to decision-making
What is Morality?
United States Fire Administration
 Morality is concerned with the question
of right and wrong
 It focuses on the ability to distinguish
between the two and justify those
distinctions
LDR 5-5
Personal Values/Ethical Behavior
United States Fire Administration
 Have a profound impact on one’s ethical
behavior
 Invest priority time in the development of
personal values assessment
 Reinforce them
 Make them a meaningful part of your
everyday life
 Since ethical behavior deals with “ought to”
LDR 5-6
decisions, values form a basis of ethical
decision-making
Concepts in Ethical Leadership
United States Fire Administration
 Michael Josephson states:
– “The terms values and ethics are not
interchangeable. Ethics is concerned with
how a moral person should behave,
whereas values simply concern the various
beliefs and attitudes that determine how a
person actually behaves. Some values
concern ethics when they pertain to beliefs
as to what is right and wrong. Most values
do not.”
LDR 5-7
Josephson’s “Six Pillars of Character”
United States Fire Administration
 Trustworthiness
 Respect
 Responsibility
 Fairness
 Caring
 Citizenship
LDR 5-8
Why Study Ethics?
United States Fire Administration
 Each day we are asked to make
decisions
 It helps us understand and communicate
our rationale for moral behavior
 Understand why two people faced with
the same ethical dilemma can reach and
justify two different decisions
LDR 5-9
Why be Ethical?
United States Fire Administration
 Organizations should be concerned with
ethics
 It is the smart thing to do
 It is the right thing to do
 There are advantages to being ethical
 There are disadvantages to not being
ethical
LDR 5-10
Advantages of Being Ethical
United States Fire Administration
 Competitive edge
 Credibility
 Efficiency
 Morale
 Loyalty
 Personal satisfaction
LDR 5-11
Disadvantages of Being Unethical
United States Fire Administration
 Competitive weakness
 Lack of credibility
 Inefficiency
 Low morale
 Disloyalty
 Personal dissatisfaction
LDR 5-12
The ultimate test : Will you do the right thing even
when it is not your self-interest?
Views on Ethical Leadership
United States Fire Administration
 Views on ethical leadership
– Peter Drucker
• Management Theorist and Academician
– Frances Hesselbein
• Former National Director of the Girl Scouts of
America
– John Gardner
• Former Secretary of Health, Education, and
Welfare
LDR 5-13
Statements of Ethics
United States Fire Administration
 Governments, companies, organizations,
clubs, and individuals create a code of ethics
 What to expect from you, and in return, what
is expected from them
 The Fire Chief Code of Ethics (International
Association of Fire Chiefs, updated 1997)
 International City Managers Association
(ICMA), updated 1998
LDR 5-14
Activity 5.1
United States Fire Administration
 Recognizing Ethical Dilemmas
– Look for signs that ethical dilemmas exist or
are developing
• One method to recognize ethical dilemmas is to
listen to how things are being said
• A second way is to the compare what is being
done to what is actually being said
LDR 5-15
Your Role as a Leader
United States Fire Administration
 Use a moral standard for the common good to
make judgment
 The organization’s moral environment is as
important as individual ethical qualities
 Use skills with the larger society in mind
 There must be a commitment to the virtues of
ethical behavior
 Leadership is responsible for the standards
LDR 5-16
Levels of Moral Development
United States Fire Administration
 Lawrence Kohlberg described three
levels
– Pre-conventional
– Conventional
– Post-conventional
– They conform roughly to the following three
motivations for behavior
LDR 5-17
• Acting because I have to
• Acting because I want to
• Acting because I should
Stages of Morality and Ethical
Conduct
United States Fire Administration
 A more refined approach to evaluation
of ethical behavior then Kohlberg’s three
levels of moral development
– Lowest levels are characterized by
responding to authority
– Middle levels are characterized by
approval of others
– Upper levels are characterized by rational
thought or personal conviction
LDR 5-18
Kohlberg’s Stages of Morality and
Ethical Conduct
United States Fire Administration
 Stage 1: Obedience
 Stage 2: Self-interest
 Stage 3: Conformity
 Stage 4: Law and Order
 Stage 5: Principle Centered Ethics
 Stage 6: Global Ethics
 Stage 7: Spiritual Enlightenment
LDR 5-19
Framework for Resolving Ethical
Dilemmas
United States Fire Administration
 Effective ethical decision–making uses a
framework from which to
– Analyze the issues
– Establish alternatives
– Develop an effective resolution.
 While there are many models of ethical
decision-making, the Manual Velasquez
framework is presented
LDR 5-20
Manuel Velasquez Framework
United States Fire Administration
 What are the relevant facts?
 What are the ethical issues?
 Who are the primary stakeholders?
 What are the possible alternatives?
 What are the ethical alternatives?
 What are the practical constraints?
LDR 5-21
Ethical Test Process
United States Fire Administration
 Frameworks provide guidance
 Effective leadership requires that the
results be reviewed through an ethical
test process
– Blanchard and Peale Test
– Front Page Newspaper Test
LDR 5-22
Ethical Test Process
(continued)
United States Fire Administration
 Blanchard and Peale Test
– Is it legal?
– Is it balanced?
– How does it make you feel?
LDR 5-23
 Front Page Newspaper Test
– How would the critical reporter report your
decisions?
– What would the headline read?
– What if your friends and family knew?
Activity 5.2
United States Fire Administration
 This activity will give you a chance to
apply the ethics topics discussed in this
module to various ethical situations
LDR 5-24
Summary
United States Fire Administration
 The opportunity to explore personal leadership
development needs and apply concepts of
ethical leadership
 Gained an understanding of the basic
concepts of ethical leadership
 Participated in analysis and application of the
various models of ethical decision-making
 Critical-thinking process associated with
ethical leadership
LDR 5-25