How to increase leaders’ moral authority. (2015)

Perspective-taking, or imagining the world from another’s vantage point…. may be the ideal formula for morally authoritative leadership.

David Dubois, INSEAD Assistant Professor of Marketing
Insead Knowledge. 19 Nov 2015.

“….As public trust in business leaders plummets, the cliché that ‘power corrupts’ provides a facile, catch-all explanation but no hint of a solution. Worse, it normalises immorality at the top, potentially breeding a dangerous complacency.

“As it turns out, the link between power and immoral behaviour is more complex than the cliché allows…

“Synthesising decades of research efforts, we propose that powerful people do not necessarily undergo a moral deterioration. In fact, under certain circumstances, attaining power might make people more moral, not less.

“…..Perspective-taking, or imagining the world from another’s vantage point, has been shown to function like a psychological steering wheel. A 2014 study found that combining power with perspective-taking improved interpersonal relationships and information-sharing, leading to more accurate decision making. This may be the ideal formula for morally authoritative leadership.

“Perspective-taking cannot implant moral principles into a fundamentally immoral person. It may, however, allow leaders to more fully express instincts they already possess, thereby turning mere authority into moral capability and authority.”

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