Servant Leadership As A Teachable Ethical Concept

Abstract

This paper considers a different approach for developing ethical organizations.  It argues that the practice of servant leadership provides a systematic training approach that should develop a more ethical culture.  Servant leadership can serve as a “character ethic” that is teachable to individuals or organizations.  The advantages and potential problems of using servant leadership as a basic organizational ethic are examined.  A key advantage of servant leadership is that it might improve both the ethical climate and the internal work environment of an organization.  Finally, the paper considers ethical scorecards that should show that companies currently practicing servant leadership tend to be more ethical.