Responsible Leadership : Developing the Concept of Leader Character from a Virtue Ethics Perspective

Abstract

Abstract This study of leader character located within the emerging construct of Responsible Leadership (RL) is conducted from a virtue business ethics perspective. A review of the leadership literature reveals that although there is a need for leaders of character, little is known about the concept of leader character from a research perspective. Leadership researchers note that current research methods are not satisfactory for gaining an understanding of the enigmatic nature of leader character. To address this shortcoming, this research examines the concept of leader character from a philosophical virtue ethics perspective. The emerging construct of RL is a normative theory of leadership that considers leaders’ responsibilities within our global societal context and resonates with the moral and societal themes of virtue ethics. The nature of this study of leadership is from a humanities perspective that seeks to apply moral philosophy to understand the whole of leadership, and is in contrast to a social science study of leadership. The works of the moral philosophers Aristotle and Alasdair MacIntyre are interpreted by applying the method of hermeneutics in gaining an understanding of character. This virtue understanding of the concept of character, which forms the foundation of the concept of leader character, is informed by business ethics research from an Aristotelian and MacIntyrean perspective. The conceptual foundation of RL is extended by exploring leader character, which lies at its core, taking the form of a virtue model of leader character.