Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
ORCID
http: //orcid.org/0009-0005-1219-621X
Date of Graduation
5-9-2024
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Education (MSEd)
Department
Leadership, Technology & Leadership Education
Advisor(s)
Tabitha Coates
Cecil Snead
Ying Jin
Abstract
This qualitative research study sought to explore the essences of ethical leadership by reviewing existing theories and frameworks, the characteristics and behaviors of ethical leaders, the leadership styles that portray an ethical component, the motivations of ethical leaders, and the self-efficacy of emerging leaders when faced with challenging decisions of an ethical nature. A thorough literature review was completed in an effort to gain a better understanding of how research studies have defined ethical leadership over the last couple of decades. Transcendental phenomenological interviews were conducted with four self-identified ethical leaders across the industries of agricultural manufacturing, a global non-profit organization in the United States, a public school system, and a global financial servicing company in the United States.
The participants of this study are leaders in the roles of executive director, HR coordinator, operations manager, and accountant/financial services team manager. The findings from the literature review and four participant interviews were analyzed and coded through the development of themes from the transcendental phenomenological interviews, and as a result of that information, the researcher was able to use the data to recommend potential implications for the future research and practice of ethical leadership in the field of Adult Education and Human Resource Development (AHRD).
Key words: essence of ethical leadership, leadership styles, leader motivations, self-efficacy, transcendental phenomenology, Adult Education/Human Resource Development
Recommended Citation
Secrist, Christina M., "Shaping tomorrow’s ethical leaders" (2024). Masters Theses, 2020-current. 281.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/masters202029/281
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons, Training and Development Commons
