Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Business Ethics
Published in: Journal of Business Ethics 3/2018

04-07-2016

Ethical Leadership Perceptions: Does It Matter If You’re Black or White?

Authors: Dennis J. Marquardt, Lee Warren Brown, Wendy J. Casper

Published in: Journal of Business Ethics | Issue 3/2018

Log in

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

Ethical scandals in business are all too common. Due to the increased public awareness of the transgressions of business executives and the potential costs associated with these transgressions, ethical leadership is among the top qualities sought by organizations as they hire and promote managers. This search for ethical leaders intersects with a labor force that is becoming more racially diverse than ever before. In this paper, we propose that the ethical leadership qualities of business leaders may be perceived differently depending upon the race of the leader. Using two experimental studies in the USA, we examine the difference in ethical leadership perceptions between a Black (White) hypocritical CEO and an ethical CEO (Study 1). Next, we consider a Black (White) ethically ambiguous CEO and an ethical CEO (Study 2). The findings indicate that a Black leader faces larger negative impact in hypocritical and ambiguous conditions than a similar White leader. There were no significant race effects in the ethical conditions in which a leader demonstrated a personal commitment to ethics through words or actions. We discuss the implications of these findings.
next article Birds of a Feather can Butt Heads: When Machiavellian Employees Work with Machiavellian Leaders

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
We used a one-tailed test for all directional hypotheses in Study 1 and Study 2.
 
Literature
Aguinis, H., & Stone-Romero, E. F. (1997). Methodological artifacts in moderated multiple regression and their effects on statistical power. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(1), 192–206.CrossRef
Beeson, J. (2009). Why you didn’t get that promotion. Harvard Business Review, 87(6), 101–105.
Bell, M. P., Marquardt, D., & Berry, D. P. (2014). “Diversity”, immigration, and the new American multi-racial hierarchy. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29(3), 285–303.CrossRef
Blair, I. V., Judd, C. M., & Chapleau, K. M. (2004). The influence of Afrocentric facial features in criminal sentencing. Psychological Science, 15(10), 674–679.CrossRef
Blancero, D. M., DelCampo, R. G., & Marron, G. F. (2007). Perception of fairness in psychological contracts by Hispanic business professionals: An empirical study in the United States. International Journal of Management, 24(2), 364–375.
Bodenhausen, G. V., & Wyer, R. S. (1985). Effects of stereotypes on decision-making and information-processing strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(2), 267–282.CrossRef
Brief, A. P., Dietz, J., Cohen, R. R., Pugh, S. D., & Vaslow, J. B. (2000). Just doing business: Modern racism and obedience to authority as explanations for employment discrimination. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 81(1), 72–97.CrossRef
Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595–616.CrossRef
Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134.CrossRef
Campion, M. A., Palmer, D. K., & Campion, J. E. (1997). A review of structure in the selection interview. Personnel Psychology, 50(3), 655–702.CrossRef
Carroll, A. B. (1987). In search of the moral manager. Business Horizons, 30(2), 7–15.CrossRef
Carroll, A. B. (2000). Ethical challenges for business in the new millennium: Corporate social responsibility and models of management morality. Business Ethics Quarterly, 10(1), 33–42.CrossRef
Carroll, A. B. (2001). Models of management morality for the new millennium. Business Ethics Quarterly, 11(02), 365–371.CrossRef
Carton, A. M., & Rosette, A. S. (2011). Explaining bias against black leaders: Integrating theory on information processing and goal-based stereotyping. Academy of Management Journal, 54(6), 1141–1158.CrossRef
Castilla, E. J. (2008). Gender, race, and meritocracy in organizational careers. American Journal of Sociology, 113(6), 1479–1526.CrossRef
Columb, C., & Plant, E. A. (2011). Revisiting the Obama effect: Exposure to Obama reduces implicit prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(2), 499–501.CrossRef
Cox, T. (1994). Cultural diversity in organizations: Theory, research, & practice. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Crandall, C. S., & Eshleman, A. (2003). A justification-suppression model of the expression and experience of prejudice. Psychological Bulletin, 129(3), 414–446.CrossRef
DelCampo, R. G., & Blancero, D. M. (2008). Perceptions of psychological contract fairness of Hispanic professionals. Cross Cultural Management, 15(3), 300–315.CrossRef
DelCampo, R. G., Jacobson, K. J. L., Van Buren, H. J, I. I. I., & Blancero, D. M. (2011). Comparing immigrant and US born Hispanic business professionals: Insights on discrimination. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 18(3), 327–350.CrossRef
Devine, P. G. (1989). Stereotypes and prejudice: Their automatic and controlled components. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(1), 5–18.CrossRef
Devine, P. G., & Elliott, A. J. (1995). Are racial stereotypes really fading? The Princeton Trilogy revisited. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21(11), 1139–1150.CrossRef
Dixon, J. C., & Rosenbaum, M. S. (2004). Nice to know you? Testing contact, cultural, and group threat theories of anti-Black and anti-Hispanic stereotypes. Social Science Quarterly, 85(2), 257–280.CrossRef
Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2000). Aversive racism and selection decisions: 1989 and 1999. Psychological Science, 11(4), 315–319.CrossRef
Elvira, M. M., & Zatzick, C. D. (2002). Who’s displaced first? The role of race in layoff decisions. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 41(2), 329–361.
Fassin, Y., & Buelens, M. (2011). The hypocrisy-sincerity continuum in corporate communication and decision making: A model of corporate social responsibility and business ethics practices. Management Decision, 49(4), 586–600.CrossRef
Gaertner, S. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (1986). The aversive form of racism. In J. F. Dovidio & S. L. Gaertner (Eds.), Prejudice, discrimination, and racism (pp. 61–89). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
Gaertner, S. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (2000). Reducing intergroup bias: The common ingroup identity model. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.
Greenbaum, R. L., Quade, M. J., & Bonner, J. (2014). Why do leaders practice amoral management? A conceptual investigation of the impediments to ethical leadership. Organizational Psychology Review,. doi:10.​1177/​2041386614533587​.
Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological Review, 102(1), 4–27.CrossRef
Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., & Schwartz, J. L. K. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1464–1480.CrossRef
Hilton, J. L., & von Hippel, W. (1996). Stereotypes. In J. T. Spence, J. M. Darley, & D. J. Foss (Eds.), Annual review of psychology (Vol. 47, pp. 237–271). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
Jahdi, K. S., & Acikdilli, G. (2009). Marketing communications and corporate social responsibility (CSR): Marriage of convenience or shotgun wedding? Journal of Business Ethics, 88(1), 103–113.CrossRef
Johnson, S. K., Murphy, S. E., Zewdie, S., & Reichard, R. J. (2008). The strong, sensitive type: Effects of gender stereotypes and leadership prototypes on the evaluation of male and female leaders. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 106(1), 39–60.CrossRef
Katz, D., & Braly, K. (1933). Racial stereotypes of one hundred college students. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 28(3), 280–290.CrossRef
Keppel, G., & Zedeck, S. (1989). Data analysis for research designs: Analysis of variance and multiple regression/correlation approaches. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman.
Kinder, D. R. (1986). The continuing American dilemma: White resistance to racial change 40 years after Myrdal. Journal of Social Issues, 42(2), 151–171.CrossRef
Koenig, A. M., Eagly, A. H., Mitchell, A. A., & Ristikari, T. (2011). Are leader stereotypes masculine? A meta-analysis of three research paradigms. Psychological Bulletin, 137(4), 616–642.CrossRef
Langford, T., & MacKinnon, N. J. (2000). The affective bases for the gendering of traits: Comparing the United States and Canada. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63(1), 34–48.CrossRef
Lee, S. Y., Pitesa, M., Thau, S., & Pillutla, M. M. (2014). Discrimination in selection decisions: Integrating stereotype fit and interdependence theories. Academy of Management Journal, 58(3), 789–812.CrossRef
Lord, R. G., Foti, R. J., & De Vader, C. L. (1984). A test of leadership categorization theory: Internal structure, information processing, and leadership perceptions. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 34(3), 343–378.CrossRef
Lord, R. G., Foti, R. J., & Phillips, J. S. (1982). A theory of leadership categorization. In J. G. Hunt, U. Sekaran, & C. Schriesham (Eds.), Leadership: Beyond establishment views (pp. 104–121). Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Lord, R. G., & Maher, K. J. (1990). Alternative information-processing models and their implications for theory, research, and practice. Academy of Management Review, 15(1), 9–28.CrossRef
MacLin, M. K., & Herrera, V. (2006). The criminal stereotype. North American Journal of Psychology, 8(2), 197–208.
Macrae, C. N., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (2000). Social cognition: Thinking categorically about others. Annual Review of Psychology, 51(1), 93–120.CrossRef
Macrae, C. N., Milne, A. B., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (1994). Stereotypes as energy-saving devices: A peek inside the cognitive toolbox. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(1), 37–47.CrossRef
Maume, D. J. (1999). Glass ceilings and glass escalators: Occupational segregation and race and sex differences in managerial promotions. Work & Occupations, 26(4), 483–509.CrossRef
Maume, D. J. (2012). Minorities in management effects on income inequality, working conditions, and subordinate career prospects among men. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 639(1), 198–216.CrossRef
Mayer, D. M., Kuenzi, M., Greenbaum, R., Bardes, M., & Salvador, R. B. (2009). How low does ethical leadership flow? Tests of a trickle-down model. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 108(1), 1–13.CrossRef
McCarthy, J. M., Van Iddekinge, C. H., & Campion, M. A. (2010). Are highly structured job interviews resistant to demographic similarity effects? Personnel Psychology, 63(2), 325–359.CrossRef
Minami, D. (1995). Untitled. In perspectives on affirmative action, (p. 11). Los Angeles, CA: Asian Pacific American Public Policy Institute.
Neisser, U. (1976). Cognition and reality. San Francisco, CA: Freeman.
Nieva, V. F., & Gutek, B. A. (1980). Sex effects on evaluation. Academy of Management Review, 5(2), 267–276.CrossRef
Oliver, M. B. (2003). African American men as “criminal and dangerous”: Implications of media portrayals of crime on the “criminalization” of African American men. Journal of African American Studies, 7(2), 3–18.CrossRef
Phillips, J. S. (1984). The accuracy of leadership ratings: A cognitive categorization perspective. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 33(1), 125–138.CrossRef
Phillips, J. S., & Lord, R. G. (1981). Causal attributions and perceptions of leadership. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 28(2), 143–163.CrossRef
Plant, E. A., Devine, P. G., Cox, W. T. L., Columb, C., Miller, S. L., et al. (2009). The Obama effect: Decreasing implicit prejudice and stereotyping. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(4), 961–964.CrossRef
Porter, M. E., Lorsch, J. W., & Nohria, N. (2004). Seven surprises for new CEOs. Harvard Business Review, 82(10), 62–75.
Rosch, E., & Lloyd, B. B. (1978). Cognition and categorization. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Rosette, A. S., Leonardelli, G. J., & Phillips, K. W. (2008). The White standard: Racial bias in leader categorization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(4), 758–777.CrossRef
Sears, D. O., & Henry, P. J. (2003). The origins of symbolic racism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 259–275.CrossRef
Sherman, G. D., & Clore, G. L. (2009). The color of sin: White and black are perceptual symbols of moral purity and pollution. Psychological Science, 20(8), 1019–1025.CrossRef
Smith, E. E., & Medin, D. L. (1981). Categories and concepts. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.CrossRef
Stabler, J. R., & Johnson, E. E. (1972). The meaning of black and white to children. International Journal of Symbology, 3(3), 11–21.
Stainback, K., & Tomaskovic-Devey, D. (2009). Intersections of power and privilege. American Sociological Review, 74(5), 800–820.CrossRef
Sy, T., Shore, L. M., Strauss, J., Shore, T. H., Tram, S., Whiteley, P., & Ikeda-Muromachi, K. (2010). Leadership perceptions as a function of race–occupation fit: The case of Asian Americans. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 902–919.CrossRef
Toossi, M. (2002). A century of change: The U.S. labor force, 1950–2050. Monthly Labor Review, 125(5), 15–28.
Treviño, L. K., Brown, M., & Hartman, L. P. (2003). A qualitative investigation of perceived executive ethical leadership: Perceptions from inside and outside the executive suite. Human Relations, 56(1), 5–37.CrossRef
Treviño, L. K., Hartman, L. P., & Brown, M. (2000). Moral person and moral manager: How executives develop a reputation for ethical leadership. California Management Review, 42(4), 128–142.CrossRef
Van de Ven, B. (2008). An ethical framework for the marketing of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(2), 339–352.CrossRef
Welch, M. (2007). Sovereign impunity in America’s war on terror: Examining reconfigured power and the absence of accountability. Crime, Law and Social Change, 47(3), 135–150.CrossRef
Wellington, S., Kropf, M. B., & Gerkovich, P. R. (2003). What’s holding women back? Harvard Business Review, 81(6), 18–19.
Woo, D. (2000). Glass ceiling and Asian Americans: New face of workface barriers. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press.
Yancey, A. V., & Singh, J. M. (1975). A study of racial attitudes in white first grade children. Elementary English, 52(5), 734–736.
Metadata
Title
Ethical Leadership Perceptions: Does It Matter If You’re Black or White?
Authors
Dennis J. Marquardt
Lee Warren Brown
Wendy J. Casper
Publication date
04-07-2016
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Journal of Business Ethics / Issue 3/2018
Print ISSN: 0167-4544
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0697
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3250-3

Other articles of this Issue 3/2018

Journal of Business Ethics 3/2018 Go to the issue

OriginalPaper

Sarbanes–Oxley Section 406 Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers and Firm Behavior

OriginalPaper

The Integrity of Financial Analysts: Evidence from Asymmetric Responses to Earnings Surprises

OriginalPaper

On the Price of Morals in Markets: An Empirical Study of the Swedish AP-Funds and the Norwegian Government Pension Fund

OriginalPaper

Destructive Leadership: A Critique of Leader-Centric Perspectives and Toward a More Holistic Definition

OriginalPaper

When Leaders Stifle Innovation in Work Teams: The Role of Abusive Supervision

OriginalPaper

Ethical Leadership and Its Cultural and Institutional Context: An Empirical Study in Japan

Premium Partner

    Image Credits