Shadow Analysis of Ethical Challenges
Each ethical problem has its own shadow. This is Chapter 1, “Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership”. The following list shows each ethical dilemma’s shadow and the impact it has on stakeholders. Self-interest: Self-absorption is when one puts his own interests ahead of those of others. These shadows can lead to self-interest that harms shareholders, employees and consumers. Self-centered leaders may make decisions that benefit themselves at the expense of the company’s long-term prosperity (Schyns & Schilling, 2015). These shadows can cause power abuse and power-mongering to corrupt or unethical actions, which could result in the exclusion of stakeholders (Northouse 2016). Leadership conflicts can arise when leaders have to decide between loyalty to the organization or their family. Conflicted loyalty can cause unethical behaviour when leaders have to balance opposing goals. This might hurt stakeholders by weakening employee or customer trust (Den Hartog & Koopman, 2021). Reputation Pressure and Image Protection: A leader may try to keep a positive public image by hiding problems or being dishonest (Northouse 2016). Cont…