INTRODUCTION
“Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great”(R W Emerson 1944). In everyday life, trust and ethics are usually conceived as closely related, intertwined concepts—one cannot go without the other (Van den Akker et al 2009). While there is much research on trust in leaders (Den Hartog, 2003; Lewicki, 2006; De Hoogh & Den Hartog, 2008; Dirks, 2002; Lapidot, 2007), few have paid attention to the importance of trust in ethical leadership in business. An environment of trust cannot exist outside the context of ethics. Research in organisational behaviour has shown that trust is a crucial (although arguable underrecognized) aspect of ethical leadership. Similarly, research by other authors …show more content…
Ethical leadership behaviour fuels organizational trust, thus trust is an ethical equation (LeBlanc, 2014). In addition, trust is also often described as the glue which binds the leader to her/his followers and provides the capacity for organizational and leadership success (Mineo, L 2014). Just as leaders must trust employees to do the right thing, employees must also see and believe in the ethics of their leaders so as to trust them. Generally in any context, when a leader speaks it is important to be able to have confidence in the honesty, truthfulness, and sincerity of their words, this is the essence of trust (Mineo, L 2014). This paper will argue that trust is indeed very necessary for ethical leadership by showing that the main elements of trust (Integrity, Benevolence, ability) are in line with what constitutes ethical leadership as both often refers to the other‘s key concepts. Before going into trust and what it entails, what really is …show more content…
Thus, as part of a robust ethical culture, trust needs to be developed. Ethical leadership and trust have a unique relationship and without one the other means nothing. For a more successful organization, the need for trust in leaders has never been greater. Simply put, “In order to pull the wagon, all the horses have to be pulling in the same direction and cadence” (Bachmann & Zaheer,
“Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great”(R W Emerson 1944). In everyday life, trust and ethics are usually conceived as closely related, intertwined concepts—one cannot go without the other (Van den Akker et al 2009). While there is much research on trust in leaders (Den Hartog, 2003; Lewicki, 2006; De Hoogh & Den Hartog, 2008; Dirks, 2002; Lapidot, 2007), few have paid attention to the importance of trust in ethical leadership in business. An environment of trust cannot exist outside the context of ethics. Research in organisational behaviour has shown that trust is a crucial (although arguable underrecognized) aspect of ethical leadership. Similarly, research by other authors …show more content…
Ethical leadership behaviour fuels organizational trust, thus trust is an ethical equation (LeBlanc, 2014). In addition, trust is also often described as the glue which binds the leader to her/his followers and provides the capacity for organizational and leadership success (Mineo, L 2014). Just as leaders must trust employees to do the right thing, employees must also see and believe in the ethics of their leaders so as to trust them. Generally in any context, when a leader speaks it is important to be able to have confidence in the honesty, truthfulness, and sincerity of their words, this is the essence of trust (Mineo, L 2014). This paper will argue that trust is indeed very necessary for ethical leadership by showing that the main elements of trust (Integrity, Benevolence, ability) are in line with what constitutes ethical leadership as both often refers to the other‘s key concepts. Before going into trust and what it entails, what really is …show more content…
Thus, as part of a robust ethical culture, trust needs to be developed. Ethical leadership and trust have a unique relationship and without one the other means nothing. For a more successful organization, the need for trust in leaders has never been greater. Simply put, “In order to pull the wagon, all the horses have to be pulling in the same direction and cadence” (Bachmann & Zaheer,