Michael E. Brown, Professor of Management at Penn State Behrend

Developing and Enhancing Ethical Leadership: The Moderating Role of Social Networks

Michael E. Brown

Much has been learned about ethical leadership in the past decade. However, knowledge of influences on ethical leadership is limited, and is mostly focused on leaders’ individual differences. Using social network theory, we develop a conceptual model to articulate theoretical insights into factors that can enhance ethical leadership (both ethical leadership behaviors and follower attributions of ethical leadership). We use both relational and structural perspectives from social network theory to explain how ethical leadership is enhanced by network tie strength, multiplexity, density, and centrality. Social networks are important because they serve as: a) pipes that convey information and opportunities to and from leaders, influencing ethical leader behavior; b) prisms that provide signals to followers that shape attributions of ethical leadership; and c) mirrors that influence leaders’ perceptions of themselves as ethical leaders. This social network perspective yields unique insights into the enhancement of ethical leadership, and offers implications for theory development, empirical study, and managerial practice. Note: The “we” refers to my co-authors Prasad Balkundi from University of Buffalo and Gary Weaver from the University of Delaware