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Organizational and Leadership Virtues and the Role of Forgiveness

February 28, 2003 

"A few researchers have recently begun to investigate dynamics in organizations that lead to the development of human strength, resiliency, and extraordinary performance.  The focus of this work centers on life-giving, elevating elements in organizations that have heretofore been ignored by organizational scholars.  This emphasis parallels the new positive psychology movement that has shifted from the traditional emphasis on illness and pathology toward a focus on human strengths and virtues (Seligman, 2000). 

 Although still in the early stages of development, systematic investigations of positive or virtuous phenomena in organizations are beginning to emerge.  For example, in groundbreaking work on organizational compassion, Dutton and her colleagues (Frost, et al., 2000; Dutton, et al., 2002) identified ways in which compassion is demonstrated and facilitated in organizations and they explored its effects on human and organizational behavior. 

 The presence and manifestation of organizational virtuousness has been shown to produce healing effects for individuals, stronger communities and relationships, inspirational stories and sagas, organizational resilience, positive affect, and enhanced vitality (Dutton, 1991; Dutton Worline, Frost, and Lilius, 2002; Fredrickson, 2001).  These outcomes are a product of two particularly important attributes of virtues.

 First, virtues have an amplifying effect in organizations.  Several researchers have described the dynamics of groups and organizations that experience a positively deviant state of performance, flow, or virtuousness actions (e.g., Hatch, 1999, Eisenberg, 1990; Sethi& Nicholson, 2001; Leavitt, 1996; Lee, et al, in press; Fredrickson & Joiner, in press; Quinn, 2002).  Under such conditions, members of the organization experience a compelling urge to build upon the contributions of others and to perpetuate the virtuous spiral (Fredrickson, 2001; in press). 

 Second, virtues have a buffering in organizations.  Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2000) pointed out that the development of human virtues serves as a buffer against dysfunction and analysis.  They reported that virtues such as courage, hope and optimism, faith, honesty and integrity, forgiveness, and compassion all have been found to be prevention agents against psychological distress, addiction, and dysfunctional behavior.

 Extensive research has shown that a large majority of organizations report a sense of injustice, personal and organizational injury, and irreparable damage as a result of cutbacks (Freeman & Cameron, 1993; Cameron, 1998; Cameron, Kim, and Whetten, 1987; Cameron, Freeman, and Mishra, 1991; 1993).  Almost all post-downsizing organizations develop negative internal attributes such as deteriorating morale, communication, trust, innovation, participative decision making, and flexibility.  At the same time they experience increases in conflict, rigidity, scapegoating leaders, secretiveness, politicking, fear, and short-term focus (Cameron, Whetten & Kim, 1987).  Because of these internal dysfunctions, organizational performance in areas such as employee turnover, quality, and productivity almost always suffer as we.

 One problem with forgiveness as a virtue is that when it is most needed, when the positive individual and organizational effects of forgiveness are most essential, forgiveness is the least likely to occur.  On the other hand, an exemplary leader who demonstrates the virtue of forgiveness can have powerful impact of an entire organization.  Since all human beings possess the capacity to be virtuous and are inspired by the demonstration of virtuous behavior (Fredrickson, 2000), virtuous leaders may be especially influential when forgiveness is least likely.

 Leaders can play two essential roles in fostering forgiveness and consequently, the healing allows the organization to move forward (Cameron, 2002):

1. Leaders provide meaning and vision.
2. Leaders provide legitimacy and support. 

 In sum, the investigation of virtues in organizational life has been neglected.  Systematic and rigorous studies of the development and demonstration of virtue have been all but absent in the organizational sciences.  We invite scholars in the organization sciences to begin exploring these important but long-neglected phenomena of positive deviance and organizational virtue (2002, Cameron & Caza, pp. 33-48)."

Reference: Cameron, K., & Caza, A. (2002). Organizational and leadership virtues and the role of forgiveness. The Journal of Leadership Studies, 9(1), 33-48.

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Created: 2008-01-09, Updated: 2009-02-17