The Western viewpoint highlights the importance of power in leadership. Leaders in this context often hold control over their subordinates. They use this power to guide the organization. This power lets them enforce rules. It is seen as a vital quality of successful leadership. Leaders in Western contexts are frequently rewarded for their capacity to take decisive action and deliver tangible results. Success is often measured quantitatively, such as profitability, market share, or project completion (Pereira et al., 2022). Leaders who exhibit a proactive approach and consistently achieve their goals are considered competent and successful.
However, this leadership style carries potential drawbacks. It can discourage team collaboration. Subordinates might avoid challenging their leaders. They may also refrain from offering diverse viewpoints. This could hinder creativity. In addition, it might limit the organization’s ability to adapt. Pursuing results may cause employees to feel undervalued and disconnected from the larger mission, resulting in poor job satisfaction. , Also, It may lead to lower morale, and declining productivity levels might follow.
Valuing results over empathy can alienate other stakeholders, whereby Customers might perceive a lack of genuine care, which could harm the organization’s reputation. Finally, focusing too much on results encourages short-term thinking. Immediate gains become the priority. This can result in inadequate strategic planning, which might risk the organization’s long-term success and destabilize the entity’s future.
Dana’s Role at GSC
Dana is the Associate Director at the Good Sister Centre in Los Angeles. This center provides support to homeless women. It also shelters children. Dana’s role is central to this mission.
The positioning of Dana’s leadership role is within a unique context. She works in a nonprofit organization. This organization has a long tradition of aiding vulnerable groups. The Good Sister Center gets its funding through donations. Some of these contributions are private, while some are from public grants.
Additionally, private government bodies and corporations sometimes provide grants. Things have changed for the organization. The gist of these changes is a new directive from donors. The recent mandate from donors requiring the adoption of a trauma-informed care (TIC) approach has created a significant shift in the organizational landscape. This approach created major changes within the organization. This required a change in how GSC interacts with its clients. This interaction switched from a behavioral compliance model. The center now employs an approach of empathy. Its dealings with clients have become more sensitive. The focus is more on individual needs.
Dana plays a big role as the Associate Director. Her duties include clinical oversight, financial management, and overall operational efficiency (Bernice et al., 2022). She directly reports to Sister Agnes, who is a nun at GSC. Sister Agnes represents the organization to higher powers. Implementing the shift to trauma-informed care rests on Dana’s shoulders. Dana wants this approach to become part of the full organization. She wants it to affect all aspects of the organization. Be it staff-client interaction or organizational culture. Communicating these changes is Dana’s responsibility. She has to equip the staff with the necessary tools. She has to train them adequately for this approach. During this change, Dana will have to face resistance. She will come across challenges. She has to manage these obstacles. She will have to bridge a communication gap that exists within the organization. This gap sits between different levels of management. It also exists between the management body of GSC faculty.
Dana’s primary goal is to successfully transition GSC from a behavioral compliance model to a TIC approach (Bernice et al., 2022). This transition is towards adopting a trauma-informed care approach. She wants more than logistical change. She wants to foster a culture of empathy. She wants safety in interactions with clients. Trustworthiness has to be the priority in these interactions. She wants the operations at GSC to align with the principles of the trauma-informed care approach. They have to recognize trauma’s impact on individuals. They need to respond to it appropriately. The goal is to promote empowerment. The organization should help clients recover, and it should also aid healing. Dana’s leadership has one important goal. This goal is to create an environment where a new approach is met with compliance by staff members.
Nevertheless, she does not want only that. She also wants them to accept it genuinely. They should see potential in it for improving the well-being of clients and staff members.
Ethical Reflection on the Use of Power
Ethical leadership is a necessity in our modern, interconnected world. Its main focus is the welfare of teams. This extends to organizations as well as stakeholders. Ethical leadership fosters trust. It also encourages a positive culture. Ensuring long-term success is another goal. This is particularly crucial for Dana at the Good Sister Center (GSC). She is overseeing a change to trauma-informed care (TIC). This approach demands a high level of sensitivity along with empathy.
Leaders such as Dana must assess their use of power with critical reflection. It is vital to consider motives. Do these motives align with TIC principles? This must be evaluated. The impact on stakeholders should also be measured. Actions must also align with set values. Ethical reflection is another important aspect. This involves a careful examination of one’s actions. It also takes into account values. Its purpose is to ensure that these align with the organization’s values. Ethical reflection also promotes continuous improvement. It is an effective tool for resolving conflict.
Additionally, it encourages ethical behavior. For Dana, this requires aligning her leadership with the principles of TIC. She also needs to foster trust. This is key for nurturing integrity within the GSC.
Dana’s Ethical Reflection and Impact on the Organization and Constituents
Dana’s exemplary ethical leadership at the Good Sister Center (GSC) has driven the successful transition to trauma-informed care. Her approach embodies several key aspects that benefit the organization and profoundly impact its staff and clients.
Dana leads with empathy. This quality lies at the heart of her approach to trauma-informed care. She always makes time to listen to her staff. She seeks to understand their experiences. Their needs are important to her. Her approach is grounded in respect. The staff feel valued in this environment. They feel heard. They feel supported. Shared decision-making is central to Dana’s leadership style. She believes in giving her team a voice. This strategy fosters inclusivity. It also promotes a sense of shared power. The staff feels empowered in this setting. Dana values transparency. She is committed to fairness. This commitment reflects her ethical approach to leadership.
Open communication is vital to Dana’s leadership. She handles inquiries from the staff in an ethical way. This level of honesty fosters trust because the team is kept well-informed. As a result, a culture of integrity has grown within the organization. Dana aims for balance. She strives for results while upholding ethical rules. She acknowledges the importance of staff well-being and does not compromise on ethical values. Instead, Dana seeks to achieve goals ethically. Dana’s leadership has greatly impacted GSC. It has built trust among staff. Collaboration has improved. Job satisfaction has soared. Staff retention has been high thanks to this. GSC values now align with those of the team.
Clients have also benefited from Dana’s leadership. Her focus on empathy has improved service quality. It has also increased respect for individuals. Trust between the organization’s clients has grown. This trust makes clients more likely to use GSC’s services. Over the long term, Dana’s leadership has created a positive feedback cycle. Improved care attracts more resources. More support comes in for GSC. These resources advance the organization’s mission to empower homeless women and children. All stakeholders benefit from this. Dana’s ethical standards assure the sustained success of the organization. GSC is now a compassionate organization. It focuses on impact while staying sensitive to those it serves.
Challenges and Considerations
Possible challenges Dana could face maintaining ethical leadership at the Good Sister Center include resistance to change. Staff used to the old methods may not welcome a shift to trauma-informed care. Dana must address this resistance gracefully. She should manage this transition with empathy. At the same time, she needs to stand by TIC’s guiding principles.
Resource constraints could also pose an issue. Dana might need help to secure resources for staff training. Supporting staff well-being is crucial for ethical leadership. The transition to TIC may require considerable resources. Dana would have to ensure these are in place. Achieving the right balance is another challenge. Dana has to ensure results even as she champions ethical standards. The success of the shift to TIC should not compromise on empathy, and Dana must monitor that the approach is trauma-sensitive.
Setting realistic expectations will balance results with ethics (Buhmann et al., 2020). Dana can do this by defining achievable milestones for transitioning to TIC. Also, monitoring progress is a crucial part of ethical leadership. Dana should gauge the impact of this transition on both staff as well as clients. Her evaluations should conform to ethical norms. She has to ensure that staff, as well as clients, benefit from these changes. Stakeholder engagement can strike a balance. Staff, as well as clients, can play a crucial role in decision-making. Including them could help Dana achieve results while upholding ethics.
External factors could also impact Dana’s decisions. GSC relies on multiple funding sources (Bernice et al., 2022). Some may impose conditions tied to the adoption of TIC. Dana might have to manage these pressures while maintaining her ethical stand. Public perception can influence resource acquisition. GSC’s reputation with the community, as well as donors, can affect funding. While there may be pressure to meet expectations, Dana must prioritize staff well-being. She must put clients’ experiences over external pressures. Dana also needs to ensure regulatory compliance. Compliance with industry standards along with government rules may pressure GSC’s operations. Overseeing that ethical norms are adhered to while also maintaining compliance is a task Dana would have to manage.
References
Bernice Ledbetter, Carla D. Gilhuys, Ed Hodge, Naomi Kelly, Sonya Badhwar, Nick Brown Pub. (2022). Resistance to Change at the Good Sister Center
Buhmann, A., Paßmann, J., & Fieseler, C. (2020). Managing algorithmic accountability: Balancing reputational concerns, engagement strategies, and the potential of rational discourse. Journal of Business Ethics, 163(2), 265-280.
Pereira, J., Varajão, J., & Takagi, N. (2022). Evaluation of information systems project success–Insights from practitioners. Information Systems Management, 39(2), 138-155.
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