Most articles focus on the debate about whether or not virtuousness actually exists (Alzola 2008 Wright and Goodstein 2007 Weaver 2006 Whetstone 2003), on the development of virtue in societies (Moore and Beadle 2006 Nielsen 2006), or on the definition of the term (Fowers 2009 Moberg 1999 Rachels 1999). The use of these terms remained negligible across the same 17-year period of time.Ī review of scholarly literature relating to the concept of virtuousness (including the terms “virtues,” “civic virtues,” “moral virtues,” and “virtue ethics”) reveals that little agreement exists regarding its definition and attributes (Cameron and Winn 2012). Terms, such as “virtue,” “caring,” and “compassion,” on the other hand, seldom appeared at all in reference to business. Confirming this bias, Walsh ( 1999) analyzed word usage in the Wall Street Journal from 1984 through 2000 and reported that the appearance of terms, such as “win,” “advantage,” and “beat,” had risen more than fourfold over that 17-year period in reference to business organizations. Its relevance in the world of work and in organizations has little credence in the face of economic pressures and stakeholder demands. Fineman ( 2006) argued that virtuousness is culturally restrictive and narrow-minded. Fowers ( 2008), for example, accused positive psychologists of being “superficial” and “colloquial” in their understanding of virtue. Virtuousness is often relegated to theology, philosophy, or mere naiveté. The prevailing tradition in organizational studies suggests that discussions of virtuousness are associated with social conservatism, religious dogmatism, and scientific irrelevance (Chapman and Galston 1992 MacIntyre 1984 Schimmel 1997). Virtuousness is not a common term in scientific circles. Using this connotation, responsible leadership is equated with virtuous leadership, or leadership oriented toward being and doing good. This concept is a universally accepted standard for the best of the human condition (Comte-Sponville 2001 Dutton and Sonenshein 2007 Peterson and Seligman 2004). Of course, what is considered good is often controversial, Footnote 2 but one term that connotes universal standards of rightness, correctness, and goodness is the concept of virtuousness (Cameron and Winn 2012 Cameron et al. Behaving responsibly in this sense means being good or doing good (Walsh et al. The concept of appropriateness is key to this connotation in that it associates responsible action with what is right, correct, or best. It refers to the ability or inclination to act in an appropriate fashion (as when an individual acts responsibly). It is the attribute that makes a certain type of responsible leadership rare. The multiple roles, characteristics, and relationships advocated are inclusive of most of the major theories of leadership (e.g., transformational, charismatic, servant, and ethical) and place responsible leadership as an encompassing ideal type.Ī fourth connotation of the concept of responsible leadership is less frequently used but equally meaningful. Footnote 1 Responsible leadership in these discussions is defined in this way: “Responsible leadership can be understood as the art of building and sustaining social and moral relationships between business leaders and different stakeholders (followers), based on a sense of justice, a sense of recognition, a sense of care, and a sense of accountability for a wide range of economic, ecological, social, political, and human responsibilities” ( 2007, p. 439), and the characteristics of responsible leaders are quite extensive. The roles associated with responsible leadership include “architect, change agent, citizen, coach, networker, servant, storyteller, steward, and visionary” (Maak and Pless 2006b, p. Responsible leadership in these discussions is grounded in stakeholder theory-that is, leaders interact with and have responsibility for multiple stakeholders. A third connotation of responsible leadership has been proposed by Pless and colleagues in which responsible leaders are described as possessing certain characteristics and performing particular roles.
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