For the Common Good-The Ethics of Leadership in the 21st Century is an edited compilation of works, which serves to provide evidence that a stronger ethical leadership approach is necessary for properly managing the globalizing world of the 21st Century. This book proposes that there are 7 critical drivers, within the context of the volatile realities of modern globalization, that can be assessed in order to predict both threats and opportunities facing 21st century leaders. Knapp (2007) includes reviews of historically successful leadership strategies used by well-respected figures, such as Mohandus Gandhi and Peter Drucker, that can offer valuable application for future leaders’ approaches to strategic management, organization and prioritization, and business plan implementation regarding these global challenges. Universities are targeted as the primary entity responsible for preparing our future leaders with proper ethics training in infusing tactics, like collaborative decision making, to address hunger, environmental degradation and world conflict to promote the common good.
Knapp (2007) divides his book into three primary sections, from which I will review key concepts and highlight chapters that characterize ethical leadership as a means to achieve universally positive global outcomes. Each chapter discusses background on the issue, provides insightful examples, and creates recommended strategies from various forward-thinking authors.
Section 1: New Climate for Leadership
This section explores how proposed global drivers have been ineffectively addressed through modern leadership assumptions, ultimately resulting in lack of trust in business and deficient models for future leaders to follow. The call for increased ethical understanding and practice by future leadership is made, and evidence, including the well-respected work of Peter Drucker, is included in an analysis that yields recommendations for emotionally intelligent leadership thought stricter compliance with corporate mission, values, transparent performance in business and the social sector, social and self awareness, and venture philanthropy.
ChApTeR 1, “Scanning more distant horizons.” Erik Peterson discusses how political and business pressures have prevented modern leaders from being able to look forward. He explains that innovation and change in leadership is needed to proactively influence the forces shaping our world. Peterson proposes that organized thinking and action can result from examination of opportunities and threats within the seven key drivers of global change.
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ChApTeR 4, “Peter Drucker’s Light: Illuminating the Path for 21st Century Leaders.” Frances Hesselbein focuses on Peter Drucker’s work in studying the importance of the social sector as the most successful tool for meeting the most social needs. Hesselbein reinforces Drucker’s strategies for helping businesses understand and act in accordance with their business mission and vision. Hesselbein recalls Drucker’s unwavering beliefs that maintaining the community is the responsibility of the corporation, whereby they must be accountable for institutional performance and must cross-collaborate to form a common corporate vision of a healthy community.
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Section2: Leadership challenges in the global context
This section recommends reviewing historical challenges, such as that faced by Gandhi or the European Union, to obtain wisdom for turning high priority modern global challenges (environmental degradation, world hunger, etc.) into opportunities to protect survival. These “new” business leadership strategies include respect for differences, E Pluribus Unum (unification for a common interest), conflict resolution, shared visions, and establishing a culture of non-violence through practicing humility. Authors in this section provide examples of how redefining business success to include long term thinking, sustainability, and leading by example (such as the new environmental sustainability plan at Interface) are able to simultaneously meet the triple bottom line of Corporate Social Responsibility (“doing well by doing good and doing good by doing well”) and the financial bottom line.
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ChApTeR 8, “Problems of Hunger and the Global Response.” This chapter reviews trends in the growing global population without a growing food supply. This is attributed, in part, to lack of arable land in populated areas, lack of infrastructure in developing countries, and natural resource degradation. Author E.T. York proposes that challenges to the global food supply facilitate the need for research on ways to sustain agricultural production systems, including bioengineering to compliment effective existing techniques. York also discusses the importance of new leaders to address food access, as incomes among the poor are not sufficient to afford available food, such is the case in Sub-saharan Africa. The author discusses the primary ethical dispute and moral challenge facing the leaders of the 21st Century: helping the hungry and the poor:
Con Argument
• Alleviating hunger may actually do more harm than good long term:
• Will reduce death rate, increasing population, further increasing food demand
• Allowing population growth in poor countries to exceed that of affluent countries will result in more hunger problems
• Higher population growth in marginal areas will lead to further environmental degradation
•Donating food will negatively impact domestic markets by causing local vendors to decrease prices/revenue due to competition. Decreased incentives for output will decrease food access.
•Hunger is morally acceptable, because survival of the fittest is a law of nature
•Donated aid often does not reach intended recipients or find its way to the neediest people
Pro Argument
• Children are the most vulnerable to hunger problems, globally leading to 250,000 deaths/week. The amount of money spent of cigarette ads, alone, could prevent malnutrition-related diseases and death
• Charity to the poor is a tenant of all major religions/cultural ethical values
• Hunger is morally unacceptable because pain experienced by the hungry exceeds the pleasure of those well-fed
• Ignoring world hunger is morally wrong, like letting a child drown because it is inconvenient to save him.
• Western nations are obligated to help because they have benefited from conditions that contributed to world hunger
• Targeted aid helps economies, increasing number of people who can afford food
• Reducing hunger and poverty helps control population because families need fewer children to financially support aging family members
The average American can name 1000 corporate brands, but can only name 10 types of plants (Knapp, 2007).
Section 3: The Promise of Higher Education
This section exposes concerns of the academic and ethical underperformance of today’s students. The authors in this section suggest that universities are in the best position to prepare tomorrow’s leaders to be ethical in decision making and effectively collaborative with stakeholders/in public interest and in managing resources across decentralized operations. In order for universities to be considered qualified to impact the ethical leadership in global society, the authors recommend that universities demonstrate priorities through ethical messages prioritizing academics over athletics, as well as competencies in teaching, scholarship, research, and service.
ChApTeR 11, “Global Ethical Leadership and Higher Education: “Being the Change You Wish to See.” This chapter defines 21st Century leaders as ethically grounded individuals who are committed to the common good of humanity with the ability to harness new spirituality that has the potential to unify humanity (Knapp, 2007). Author Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. looks back to two university presidents of the early 20th century as role models for ethical behaviors in higher education, such as convictions the vision of enhancing the educational system, ability to debate, and deep understanding of educational problems, democracy and freedom. Carter Sr. also goes on to identify responsibilities for the university in cultivating new ethical leaders. It is recommended that universities focus on developing the methods and tools for critically engaging students in social issues, skills for non-violent productive conflict resolution, commitment to ethical leadership, and strategies exploring individual meaning for a just global society. Ultimately, with ethical preparation, these authors indicate that the leaders of tomorrow can, in fact, be the change.
What makes you a good leader? Through the Good Work Project, developmental psychologists examine and promote ethical leader cultivation. Check it out at http://www.goodworkproject.org .
Here’s a brief intro discussing the origins of ethical leaders
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Reflection: I think that this book helpfully encourages critical thinking about what we can do to benefit society and how, through leadership, we can achieve that benefit. How can you “BE THE CHANGE” that you think is needed? In an MBA program, we all wish to be effective leaders on some capacity. Join religious and secular collaboration on the exploration of human passion to benefit the common good at http://www.whatsyourcalling.org
Here's a video illustrating people's passion for the common good.
Connections with Class: The readings from this semester were helpful in preparing me to better understand the scope and purpose of this book. I think that For the Common Good and Pope Benedict XVI’s “Caritas in Veritate” share the same mission in promoting corporate social responsibility and ethical leadership (charity and justice) to protect the global society and the environment. The book’s discussion of Peter Drucker’s work with promoting corporate collaboration to achieve social responsibility, with maintenance of a strong mission and vision, relates to our learning of the minimum requirements of a strong ethics program discussed by Ferrell, Fraedrich, and Ferrell (2011). Ferrell, Fraedrich, and Ferrell (2011) also discuss various philosophies with which people view the world and themselves, and make their decisions. Knapp (2007) suggests that future leaders transcend utilitarianism, cultural relativism, and religion, looking for deeper meanings that are common to, and for the good of, all people.
Additional Questions for Discussion:
1. As a current and/or future leader, can you think of examples of how Peter Drucker’s concept of “seeing what’s visible, but not yet seen” could be applied current/future global issues?
2. Do you tend to side with being “for” or “against” getting involved with global hunger and why do you choose this position?
References
Ferrell, O.C., Fraedrich, J., and Ferrell, L.(2011). Business ethics: Ethical decision
making and cases. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning
Knapp, J.C. (Ed.). (2007). For the common good: The ethics of leadership in the
21st century. Westport, CT: Praeger Pulbishers
Pope Benedict XVI. (2009). Caritas in veritate. Retrieved from:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/
fh_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html
