The State of Moral Leadership in Business 2024

“Above all, moral leadership is about how leaders touch hearts, not just minds—how they enlist others in a shared and significant endeavor,
and create the conditions where everyone can contribute their character and creativity.” -Dov Seidman

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Moral leadership remains in high demand

Percentage of employees who believe the need for moral leadership is more urgent than ever:

86%

2020

88%

2022

93%

2024

Moral leadership elevates team behavior

Percent strongly agreeing by moral leadership tier of manager

PEOPLE ON MY TEAM
EXPERIMENT AND TRY NEW IDEAS

THERE IS A HIGH LEVEL OF
TRUST ON MY TEAM

PEOPLE ON MY TEAM SPEAK OUT WHEN
THEY SEE SOMETHING THAT CONTADICTS
OUR VALUES OR IS UNETHICAL

PEOPLE ON MY TEAM TAKE FULL
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS
AND DO NOT HIDE THEIR MISTAKES

Moral leadership and the challenge of impunity

HIGH PERFORMING EMPLOYEES
IN MY ORGANIZATION
FREQUENTLY GET
AWAY WITH BEING
DISRESPECTFUL OR
ABUSIVE TO OTHERS

MY ORGANIZATION
OFTEN REWARDS
RESULTS OVER
RESPECTFUL CONDUCT

IN MY ORGANIZATION,
ACHIEVING HIGH
PERFORMANCE METRICS
IS VALUED MORE THAN
ADHERING TO POSITIVE
WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR
AND CULTURE NORMS

Moral leadership guides a meaningful return to the office

Artificial intelligence as a frontier of moral leadership

LEVEL OF CONCERN ABOUT AI SYSTEMS MAKING MORALLY QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS

0%

NOT AT ALL
CONCERNED

SLIGHTLY
CONCERNED

SOMEWHAT
CONCERNED

VERY
CONCERNED

EXTREMELY
CONCERNED

HOW WELL-PREPARED DO YOU BELIEVE TODAY’S LEADERS ARE IN UNDERSTANDING THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF AI?

0%

NOT AT ALL
OPTIMISTIC

SLIGHTLY
OPTIMISTIC

SOMEWHAT
OPTIMISTIC

VERY
OPTIMISTIC

EXTREMELY
OPTIMISTIC

LEVEL OF OPTIMISM REGUARDING DEVELOPMENT OF AI THAT BEHAVES
MORALLY AND ETHICALLY

0%