Ethical Insights of Early 21st-Century Corporate Leaders

Ethical Insights of Early 21st-Century Corporate Leaders by Kevin Blair Jones MS, National Louis University, 2004 BS, University of Maryland, University College, 2000 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University May 2015 Abstract From 2001 to 2010, a lack of documented standards within ethics programs inhibited decision making, management practices, and corporate strategies for corporate leaders in the United States. Seminal theories in transformational, charismatic, servant, spiritual, and ethical leadership formed the conceptual framework for this phenomenological study, whose intent was to explore how senior leaders of Fortune 500 companies in Washington,From 2001 to 2010, a lack of documented standards within ethics programs inhibited decision making, management practices, and corporate strategies for corporate leaders in the United States. Seminal theories in transformational, charismatic, servant, spiritual, and ethical leadership formed the conceptual framework for this phenomenological study, whose intent was to explore how senior leaders of Fortune 500 companies in Washington, DC integrated ethics into daily business decisions and the role in organizational performance. A convenience sample of 20 Fortune 500 leaders participated in face-toface semistructured interviews to explore the assessment, definition, and documentation of various ethical standards in the company; the different mechanisms for ensuring ethical standards influenced decision making; and whether a senior leader’s moral code influences the development of a code of ethics, ethical standards, or organizational culture. Using Saldana’s coding process as an exemplar, 6 themes emerged from this investigation: ethical standards, organizational culture, ethics training, role modeling, values, and moral dilemmas. Findings revealed the need for scenario-based ethical training to guide senior leaders through dilemma-oriented problems. Implications for positive social change include benchmarks for ethical integration successes in business strategy that improve corporate social responsibility and change hiring practices to help build ethical corporate cultures. Ethical Insights of Early 21st-Century Corporate Leaders by Kevin Blair Jones MS, National Louis University, 2004 BS, University of Maryland, University College, 2000 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University May 2015 Dedication For me, there is one reminder that keeps pushing me to be better than I am, Ephesians 4:13: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me. ” Only through the grace of His Spirit am I able to break the chains of sin and claim the ultimate victory of eternal life. I want to dedicate this doctoral project to my soul mate and loving wife, Sonja. Thank you for your moral support, encouragement, and – most of all – your patience. Without you, I would not be the man, the husband, or the father I am today. Your unceasing prayers gave me the strength to meet challenges that I thought were too difficult and to balance the demands that I perceived as too stressful. Words alone cannot express the gratitude or the boundless feelings I have for you. You are the greatest gift that I could ever receive from God, and I will love you forever. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge my family for their sacrifices and patience during this long doctoral journey. To my wonderful children BJ and Victoria, thank you for the smiles, hugs, and – most of all – the love that you have given me over the many years. Although I might not have succeeded, I have tried to be an example for you to follow as you continue your life path. I can only hope that I have helped you make that path as enjoyable as you have made mine. I also want to give special thanks to my mom, who has been a source of inspiration throughout my life. Her constant sacrifice for my future has always paid dividends to forge a better man and future. I would also like to say thank you to some of my friends for helping me produce this document. To William Jackson, Ben Litalien, Mark Botros, Kristel Stephens, Bob Lefebvre, and the others who spent time coaching me or reviewing this dissertation: Your time and efforts were invaluable to this doctoral process. A special thanks goes to Sheila Strider who with others in our group helped maintain an overall level of sanity through this tough process. I cannot understate the hours of review, edit, and support that has occurred in these many years of doctoral work. Thanks Sheila you have been great. Finally, without question, I must acknowledge the outstanding support received from my mentor, the committee, and the entire faculty at Walden University. Thank you for demanding the best product from each student, while having the patience to wait until the proper words emerged from our pens. Dr. Ness, your leadership, and patience are phenomenal. From Day 1 as my mentor and chairperson, your constant guidance and never-say-die attitude has been a blessing. For that, I want to say thanks. i Table of