Ethical Leadership as a Panacea to Organization Conflict in Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue III, March 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Ethical Leadership as a Panacea to Organization Conflict in Nigeria

Chibuzor Obi Jude¹, Keyna Marie Chizoma Eshika², Mallam Joel Tisan³, Ndana Salihu Danlami⁴

^1,3M.Sc., Department of Public Administration, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria
^{2, 4}MPhil/Ph.D., Department of Public Administration, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract: Many questions on what is the most effective way to handle conflict in public organizations triggered the rationale behind this paper. This paper was an exploration of ethical leadership as a panacea to the organizational conflict in Nigeria. By determining the extent to which ethical leadership can eliminate organizational conflict in Nigeria public organizations. The research work primarily used secondary sources of data in order to unearth issues surrounding organizational conflict. Theory and investigator triangulation were applied in order to ensure the validity and reliability of our findings. The area of concern has attracted many conferences, workshops, and dialogues about the future of Nigerian public organizations as other efforts to eliminate organizational conflicts seemed abortive. The paper explored ethical leadership and found it to comprise essential elements such as humility, fairness, responsibility, respect for others, independence, accountability, and transparency among others. Using Principal-Agency theory, Utilitarian theory and theory of justice and fairness to analyze conflicting situations in an organization discovered that selfish interest, lack of honesty, political interference and lack of humility, injustice among others tend to spring organizational conflict which now leads to organizational-underdevelopment as team spirit is far in the workplace. There is the tendency that the organization will continue to wallow in the militating situation. We recommend that ethical leadership qualities as highlighted in the work should be imbibed in the Nigerian public organizations though, private organizations are not excluded.

Keywords: Organizational Conflict, Ethical Leadership, Transparency and Accountability, Humility and Fairness.

I. INTRODUCTION

In any organization, conflict is inevitable. But how the conflict can be managed to prevent it from violence is the major concern of this paper. Public organizations are institutions set up by the government to render effective services to the masses at minimal cost. These organizations are made up of individuals from different orientations, religions, cultures and educational backgrounds which inform their ideological perspectives. The existence of such ideologies is equally observable in the administrative and political sphere. These ideologies affect the life and structure of organizations.

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