Prosocial Leadership: Understanding the Development of Prosocial Behavior within Leaders and their Organizational Settings

229 Pages·2018·2.6 MB·English

by  Timothy Ewest (auth.)

UNDERSTANDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF
PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR WITHIN LEADERS AND
THEIR ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGS
PROSOCIAL
LEADERSHIP
TIMOTHY EWEST
Prosocial Leadership
Timothy Ewest
Prosocial Leadership
Understanding the Development
of Prosocial Behavior within Leaders and their
Organizational Settings
TimothyEwest
HoustonBaptistUniversity
Houston,USA
ISBN978-1-137-57741-2 ISBN978-1-137-57808-2 (eBook)
DOI10.1057/978-1-137-57808-2
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017946737
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OnSeptember26th,2014thousandsofprotestorsfloodedthestreetsofHong
Kong.Young,old,richandpoor,peoplefromeverystationoflifejoined
togetherinprotest.Theycollectivitydemandedtherightoffreeuniversal
suffrage,thefreedomtodeterminetheirownfuture.TheUmbrellaMovement,
orYellowUmbrellaMovement,involvedthousandsofcourageousindividuals
whohadfullknowledgethattherewouldbenochange,noreward,andthey
protestedinfearoftheirownlives.Thisbookisdedicatedtoprosocialleaders
liketheseindividualswhoactonbehalfofothers,tobringaboutacommon
good,doingsowithnocertaintyofrewardandinfearofpunishment.Itis
hopedthatthisbookcanhelpbolsteryourranks.
F
OREWORD
A few years ago my family and I went on our yearly vacation to the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. As I
was accustomed to doing, I brought along a history book. On this trip I
broughtalongCod:ABiographyoftheFishThatChangedtheWorld,written
byMarkKurlansky(2011).Thebookwasahistoricalbiographyaboutcod,
a species of fish found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (Gadus
morhua and Gadus macrocephalus). As depicted in the book, cod was a
motivating orsustainingforce behindmanyViking,EuropeanandBasque
expeditionary voyages. Kurlansky also argued that cod was the motivation
behind numerous economic, political, cultural and military decisions
throughoutmanyerasofworldhistory.
During a few rainy days, the book provided a pleasant distraction that
carried my mind far away from the work and list of responsibilities that
normallyoccupiedmyday-to-dayrhythms.However,drivingbackhome,I
realizedthatthebookmightmetaphoricallybearepresentationofmyown
motivationsinmyresearchonethics,prosocialbehaviorandleadership.For
years and years, I have listened to the experts and read everything I could
getmy handson concerningleadership,specificallyethical leadership.Yet,
eachtimeIheardaleadershiptheorywithaccompanyingethicalbehavioral
expectationsthatdescribedindividualleaders,Iwouldalwaysthink,“Some-
thing mustbebehindthese leaders,motivating them asindividuals, devel-
opinganddirectingtheirleadershipbehavior.”Iwouldaskwhatwastheir
“why,”and“how”didtheydevelopintoleadersofcharacter?
vii
viii FOREWORD
Yet,mostoftheanswersIwouldhearinethicalleadershiptheorieswere
not concerned with the “why” (why do leaders behave ethically) or the
“how” (how do leaders develop ethically), but with the “what” (what is
ethical leadership and what is the effect of ethical leadership), and/or the
“when” (when is it needed?). In my own pursuit of answering the “why”
and“how”questions,Inowbelieveoneofthebestwaystounderstandthe
motivations and identify the actions associated with others-directed or
ethical behavior in leaders is through the employment of prosocial behav-
ioralvalues.
And,liketheireorsuspicionraisedinmentioningtosomeonethatcod
wasthemotivatorbehindmanyimportanthistoricalworldevents,sotooire
andsuspicionmayberaisedformanyleadershipscholarsinsuggestingthat
prosocial values are a good way to identify and develop others-directed or
ethical leaders. But this is exactly what this book supports and suggests.
Prosocialvaluesareinfactagoodwaytodevelopanddetectethicalleaders,
and, I assure you, they are the reason many ethical leaders are taking the
voyage ofleadership to harvest a personalbountyof being others-directed
leaders.
Onmydrivehomethesethoughtscarriedmetoanotherrealization.For
mostofmylifeIhavebeenaskingthesetwoquestions—“Whatisaperson’s
motivationandhowdoindividualsimprovethemselves?”—regardlessofthe
ireorsuspicionthesequestionshaveraised.Andthesequestionsmayeven
be the motivation for many of my career and personal choices as a pastor,
consultant, professor, committed father, devoted husband, friend and
author.Buttheyaremostcertainlythemotivationbehindwritingthisbook.
I do hope that you, the reader, come with the same questions and
curiosity I have in researching and writing this book. But if you do come
without the same questions regarding the motivation or development of
individuals, specifically leaders, I trust this book will accent, shift or chal-
lenge your personal thinking and professional conversations, or possibly
embolden your own pursuit in research regarding the motivation and
developmentofethicalleaders.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with my colleagues, I too have read countless books and had my mind
warmedbythelaborsandartofmanygreatthinkers.Thisbookendeavors
tosupportandaddtothedutyandpassiondemonstratedbytheirscholar-
ship.Yet,everytimeIbegintoreadbooksfromoneofthesegreatthinkers,
I have become accustomed to read the acknowledgements section. I am
curious whomthese great women and men ofthoughtesteem,whoholds
themup,whogivesthempause,whomtheyaredevotedto,andwhogives
thempersonalmeaningandinspiration.Inmymany,manyyearsofreading,
Imostoftenseethenamesoftheauthor’sfamilymembersandspouse.
HereIfollowthatwisdomandthankmywife,Joanna,andmychildren,
Haliee,CarissaandNathan,allofwhomhavegivenmylifeadeepsenseof
purpose,and,forthem,Iwouldbewillingtosacrificemyself,mywholeself.
Yet,IamalsoadevotedfollowerofChrist,and,attheriskofappearingas
afoolishmyth-believingplebian,Iofferthisworktohim,hewhosufferedso
muchonmybehalf,givinghiswholeself.
ix
C
ONTENTS
1 TheNeedforProsocialLeaders 1
2 TheChallengesWithinEthicalLeadershipTheories 23
3 WhatIsProsocialBehavior’sConnectiontoLeadership? 43
4 PerspectivesonLeadershipDevelopment 63
5 TheProsocialLeadershipDevelopmentProcess 81
6 StageOne:AntecedentAwarenessandEmpathicConcern 97
7 StageTwo:CommunityandGroupCommitment 117
8 StageThree:CourageandAction 135
9 StageFour:ReflectionandGrowth 149
10 ProsocialLeadershipDevelopmentinOrganizationalLife 161
xi
xii CONTENTS
Appendix1:DesignandMethodologyfor
Chaps.5,6,7,8,and9 185
Appendix2:DesignMethodologyforChap.10 189
Appendix3:LimitationsofResearchinthisProject 195
References 197
Index 217