Ethical Leadership in India

Abstract

The chapter offers a review of research and theory on ethical leadership in India, attempting a confluence between leadership theories developed in the West and the traditional Indian wisdom. Gunas, as described in the Bhagavad Gita, present an account of ethical/moral traits of a leader. Given the debate over the assumed ethicality of transformational leadership, wherein a leader could exercise influence for personal benefits as well, this approach provides a very limited view of ethical leadership. The idea of Karma and its distinct focus on duty and detachment from rewards provides a basis for ethical leadership. Gunas and the key tenets of Karma are used to identify a two-dimensional conceptualization of ethical leadership, where the former focusses on ethical person (aspect of leadership) and the latter on the ethical manager (given its interpersonal orientation). This approach to leadership brings ethical concerns to the centre stage in managing work behaviour.