Desperately Seeking Good Leaders: Hubris, Ethical Behaviors And Authentic Leadership At The Top

The authors' research addresses the following question: might it be possible to prevent hubristic tendencies in top executives through authentic leadership development and, by the same token, promote ethical behaviors? They begin with a review of the empirical literature which demonstrates the damaging effects of executive hubris for the organization. They suggest that there is a theoretical link between hubris and unethical behaviors due to an ineffective exercise of moral agency. They go on to provide a review of authentic leadership theory and examine its relationship to hubris and to ethical behavior.