Module 1 Moral Leadership and Unconscious Bias

 

Module1What Is Ethics, and How Does Ethics Inform Moral Leadership?

Reflection Blog: Moral Leadership and Unconscious Bias


Prompt 1

Read the following article: Moral Leadership and the Role of Unconscious Bias (Harvard Law School Daily Blog).

After reading, think about the definition of moral leadership and unconscious bias. Moral leadership is not just about following the rules but taking a look at unconscious biases and finding a way to challenge those unconscious biases in the workplace as well. The article states that moral leadership does not require perfect behavior, but rather a willingness to do better.

Think about an example in your workplace that is fraught with bias. Describe the example and address how you, as a moral leader, will address this bias and other biases in the future.

Prompt 2

In the module reading, Contemplative Leadership: The Possibilities for the Ethics of Leadership Theory and Practice (EBSCO/Hunt Library), the authors argue that scholarly accounts of leadership do not give insights into the contemplative aspect of leadership. Their article seeks to develop a contemplative leadership model as a relational practice. As an organizational purpose, contemplative leadership bridges the individual, group, and organization according to their framework.

Therefore, take a moment to reflect on your current workplace.

  • Do your values and ethics align with your workplace?
  • Do you work for a virtuous organization that has a "good purpose"?
  • In what ways are your ethics challenged at your workplace, and what can you do to ensure your value systems are aligned with your organization and work peers?

Moral Leadership and Unconscious Bias


Prompt 1

    Acting as a moral leader, in my opinion, is much easier said than done. Everyone has unconscious biases, but it is up to the individual to strive to acknowledge their own and work to be better. This type of action is not one that occurs overnight, but through experience and understanding with other people. 

    In my undergraduate program, I worked a bit with the Diversity and Inclusion office and tried to gain a better understanding of what the terms meant. Through many conversations, I began to understand that each person holds their own unique worldview regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, etc. Diversity is not so simple as hiring people of different skin color for one's team. Rather, one must consider the unique backgrounds of each person; their likes, dislikes, interests, socioeconomic background, home life (e.g., single-parent household, lives with grandparents, foster child), where they grew up, education, etc. While race and ethnicity play a role for forming diverse teams, it is important to be more open-minded. Furthermore, one's background can certainly be significant in their views on social topics like racism and sexuality. 

    Moral leadership and unconscious bias revolve around reflecting on one's own inherent bias as well as encouraging others around them to do the same (Shonk, 2020). In positions of leadership, people should strive to establish a climate and culture of respect. In my workplace, I have seen instances of preferential treatment toward others whether that be race, gender, or thought-process. Understandably, people are often drawn to individuals who are similar to themselves. 

    In a past position, I worked as a branch chief at Shaw Air Force Base where we oversaw Information Technology (IT) for people deployed in the Middle East. I worked for someone who developed a strong connection with my peer, the other branch chief, which made me feel less valued and less motivated. My boss perhaps got along with my peer due to them both being women, closer in age than me and my boss, and held similar views, but it still was clear that I was not the favorite. This perceived favoritism seemed to cross into meetings where my opinions were not heard and respected. Moreover, I was often passed over and an afterthought when it came to opportunities, new tasks, and awards for one's contributions. Eventually, I spoke with my boss about how I felt, and she apologized and said that she did not even realize that she may have had an unconscious bias. While this was not very serious, issues like this can have severe consequences if left unaddressed.

    According to Shonk (2020), moral leadership starts with one acknowledging their own biases and also recognizing that "speaking up" is just as important. A leader should walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Moreover, the majority of people (60%) make up the middle ground opinions on most social norms and "are the most susceptible to being influenced" even though they are "often silent and passive" (Shonk, 2020). Additionally, Kapoor and Cavanagh (2024) write that "people enjoy and publicize their critical self-awareness, their empathy with the oppressed, and their seemingly progressive and humanitarian politics, but without taking any meaningful action." For leaders, this means not only acknowledging and talking about unconscious biases and how to be better, but also to act on them, too.

    As a moral leader, I will seek to learn more about myself and the unconscious biases I hold through self-awareness tests, and I will also strive to change my actions accordingly in the workplace. I believe that if I were in my boss' position, I would aim to develop true, genuine interpersonal connections with those I lead, and try to to so with a very open mind. There are many cultures and backgrounds that I do not understand (and I never truly will), but I can let these individuals that I am trying my best to get to know who they really are. I find that being vulnerable and humble in this manner is often a really strong way to let people know that I actually care. To accomplish this, I will have more feedback sessions with the members of my organization and drive-by touchpoints where I have down-to-earth conversations each day. I will aim to be visible and accessible, and I will try to reflect each day on whether or not I acted on an unconscious bias. Overall, it will take work and continual practice; moral leadership is a lifelong skill.

Prompt 2

    Grandy & Sliwa (2017) write about purpose and alignment across the different levels of an organization (e.g., individuals and leadership positions). Specifically, Grandy & Sliwa (2017) claim, "A virtuous organization has a good purpose, i.e., contributes to the overriding good of the community, and its members are drive to pursue excellence in the achievement of that good purpose."

    In my organization, these concepts are pronounced and underlined by its core values: Character, Connection, Commitment, and Courage. These represent the overarching values of the greater U.S. Air Force which are Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. My personal values align well with my organization's because they are similar to those that my parents raised me with, my religious background, the Boy Scouts, sports, and volunteering. I also come from a military family, so these values likely transcend time - they are engrained in me. I believe that these values help to provide a grander sense of the organization and its purpose which help to align each individual toward one common goal; they establish a foundation and standard. Moreover, these values promote unity and teamwork. 

    I believe I work for a virtuous organization and their values and ethics align with mine. However, I recognize that not everyone feels this way, especially considering that we are essentially professionals of warfare. Sometimes the general public, and even members of the military, question the ethics of the government and the individuals working in the realm of the Department of Defense. I can definitely say that many people questioned my decision to join the military, especially family, friends, and teachers. As I've grown older, I have started questioning decisions and tried to understand motives (i.e., the 'why'). Though, at my level I can only influence so much which is really the people around me. Whether or not certain governments, organizations, and corporations are ethical or not is up for great debate. For now, I feel that my role is to better the lives of those around me and to be the best, moral leader I can where I have influence.

    Overall, I feel the military has high standards for conduct and carrying oneself so my ethics are minimally challenged in my workplace. For example, cheating on one's spouse is actually grounds for jail time and being dishonorably discharged. But there are ways to ensure my value systems are aligned with my organization and work peers. Brown et al. (2005) explain that "ethical leadership is characterized by leader's demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, as well as promotion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision-making." This highlights how important it is for leaders to combat challenges to ethics in an organization; they must be proactive and establish boundaries, rules, and expectations upfront. Moreover, leaders must set the example and be a role model of good conduct and behavior. Leaders should strive to create a culture and climate of ethical behavior and practices, which requires high standards and compliance among members in the organization. In my organization, there is often a 'zero tolerance policy' associated with undesirable behavior, and everyone receives frequent training on what is acceptable or not. 

    Ultimately, I believe that I should first have high standards for myself which requires checking and trying to overcome my own inherent/unconscious biases, and then making sure to hold others in my organization accountable as well. I should aim to be outspoken and stand for what I believe in, but also be open-minded to people with opinions I may not initially agree with. Perspectives are changed with open dialogue, and unification requires effort that is not always easy. Moral leadership takes work, and it all starts with self-awareness.

References:

Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002 

Grandy, G., & Sliwa, M. (2017). Contemplative Leadership: The Possibilities for the Ethics of Leadership Theory and Practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 143(3), 423–440. https://doi-org.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/10.1007/s10551-015-2802-2

Kapoor, I., & Cavanagh, S. L. (2024). Missing in Action: Where’s the Unconscious in Anti-Racist “Unconscious Bias Training”? Humanities, 13(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/h13010018

Shonk, K. (2020, July 13). Moral leadership and the role of unconscious bias. PON. https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/leadership-skills-daily/moral-leadership-and-the-role-of-unconscious-bias/ 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Module 6 Conflict Resolution

       “While conflict is inevitable, it is not always dangerous or damaging” (Sweetman, 2009). In the TED talk, William Ury (2010) states there with the world more interconnected than ever thanks to modern technology, the more the world is like a big family reunion which inevitably brings arguments. He argues that the majority of conflicts have two major sides and an additional third side, which is the side that reminds the parties what is really at stake in a facilitator and mediator type of role. Throughout his talk he speaks of personal experiences around the world and in discussions with world leaders where he served as the third side to bring the discussions back into perspective in order to refocus on the objective and tamper emotions. Ultimately, Ury (2010) claims that the third side is the secret to peace if everyone can learn to effectively serve in the role as a listener with empathy, to treat others with hospitality over hostility, and to diplomatically c...
Read more

Module 2 Authenticity, Morality, and Leadership

Module 2 Morality: Is There a Gray Area? Reflection Blog: Authenticity, Morality, and Leadership Prompt In the module reading,  Are Authentic Leaders Always Moral? The Role of Machiavellianism in the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Morality (EBSCO/Hunt Library),  the authors were surprised and concerned that there was not a direct relationship between authentic leadership and moral action. The authors hypothesized that this might explain why some leaders that are adept at moral reasoning still engage in unethical behavior. Reflect on authenticity, morality, and the leadership style of your leader. Address the following prompts: Is there a gap in moral action in your leader? How does that impact you in the workplace? If your leader does not have a gap in moral action, is there a link between moral action and your leader’s leadership style? What have you learned from your leader that you implement in your own views of morality and leadership? Authenticity, Morality...
Read more

Module 8 Team Roles

Any highly-successful team is comprised of members with clearly-defined roles and responsibilities in addition to the team’s overall common goals. The best time to establish roles is at the very beginning of team formation prior to any actual work getting done. Without team roles there would likely be chaos within the team. According to Whetton & Cameron (2016), common roles can range from the leader, to task-facilitator, to relationship-builder, and to unproductive (p. 428). Leaders should work to develop credibility and articulate a clear vision. Task-facilitators should provide direction, enforcement, and synthesis of information (p. 423). Relationship-builders should be supportive, energizing, harmonizing, and confronting while tension relieving (p. 424). An important note is that all team members can serve in multiple roles at once, but, in different facets. However, the leader is more of a special, singular position because a team cannot have too many “chiefs,” so to speak. W...
Read more