(2004) suggests that transformational leadership and servant leadership may be the most ethically conscious leadership forms. Transformational leadership as discussed by this author and also referenced by Al Gini (2004) recognizes leadership as a process by means of which the leader attempts to transform or change followers to produce desirable outcomes. Most transformational leaders are possessed of strong values and as Ciulla (2004, p. 15) put it, "they do not water down their values and moral ideals by consensus, but rather they elevate people by using conflict to engage followers and help them reassess their own values and needs."
Servant leadership is described by Ciulla (2004) as a normative theory of leadership which positions the leader as a servant of others whose obligation is to ensure that followers maximize their own potential and behave in an ethical and moral manner. Interestingly, one of the titles of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church is "servant of the servants of God," a title indicating that even this particular global leaders whose leadership is almost entirely based on a set of moral precepts perceives himself as serving those who follow him. Servant leaders, therefore, are men and women who believe that the best they can offer followers is a role model that behaves ethically and thereby encourages others to do so as well.
Ethics are of significance in an organizational setting, according to C.E. Johnson (2004), because organizations take on unique characteristics that create what is essentially a corporate culture. Corporate culture transmits and reinforces the key ideals of the company's leadership and confirms its values. Johnson (2004) asserts that ethical leaders are needed because without them, corporations or institutions of any kind focus solely on profitability and productivity without functioning in what could be considered a socially responsible manner.
Johnson (2004) described...