We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Course image
Sivakami S ; MBA ; Leadership Science, Psychology

Ethics, Integrity, and Morality aren’t just topics for Moral Science Class, they’re essential for today’s Leaders and Managers . Surveys and Studies reveal that Business Ethics, and Ethical Leadership, are key to building trust, and long-term success, in any Organization.

This Course offers a deep dive into ethical behavior, integrity, and moral decision-making, drawing on Research and Insights from Psychology, Philosophy, History, and Anthropology.

Read more

Ethics, Integrity, and Morality aren’t just topics for Moral Science Class, they’re essential for today’s Leaders and Managers . Surveys and Studies reveal that Business Ethics, and Ethical Leadership, are key to building trust, and long-term success, in any Organization.

This Course offers a deep dive into ethical behavior, integrity, and moral decision-making, drawing on Research and Insights from Psychology, Philosophy, History, and Anthropology.

Through this Interdisciplinary approach, you will explore the factors influencing moral behavior, and how to foster ethics and integrity in yourself, your team, and your organization.

Many Leaders and employees struggle to clearly define what ethical behavior really means, beyond just compliance and following rules. This Course will help you gain a deeper understanding of Ethics and Integrity, by exploring how Moral Behavior is shaped and influenced by Culture, Norms, Psychology, and History.

This is not a typical Compliance based Ethics Course. It will challenge you to think critically about ethics and integrity, offering insights that will help you navigate complex moral dilemmas, especially in Leadership roles. Be prepared for an engaging and thought-provoking journey, that will enhance your ability to lead with Integrity, in today’s dynamic Business Environment.

It’s designed to give you Practical Insights and Strategies, to be more ethical, in your personal and professional life. 

If you’re ready to dive deeper into what it means to be ethical, and to lead with integrity, this course will offer valuable Insights and Lessons.

Some Images and Videos courtesy Pixabay, Pexels, Pressfoto and FreePik. Some Music snippets courtesy Bensound.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Understand the deeper meaning, and implications, of ethics, integrity & morality, with insights from psychology, anthropology, history, philosophy, & evolution
  • Learn some valuable lessons and strategies, to improve the culture, integrity, and ethics of your organisation's employees and leaders.
  • Learn about the environment, and conditions, that can encourage, and discourage, ethical behaviour in your team, organisation, and neighbourhood.
  • Understand the benefits of creating an ethical corporate and social culture.

Syllabus

Introduction

Course Introduction, Part 1, A Case Study

Course Introduction, Part 2

Course Navigation

Read more

Course Structure/Roadmap

Introduction to me, your Instructor, and to Leadership Psychology.

Are there any Universal Moral Principles? What is common across cultures and regions ?

Universal Morals, our Moral Foundations, Part 2

Evolution of Morality, our Moral Foundations, Part 3

Evolution of Morality, our Moral Foundations, Part 4

Quick Recap Quiz

Practice Exercise, applying the Lessons learnt so far, on our Universal Moral Foundations.

Social Emotions for Cooperation, Part 1

Social Emotions for Cooperation, Part 2

The Power of Gratitude : A Deep-Dive

Rational Models of Crime ?

How unethical are we, usually ?

Practice Exercise, and Application Suggestions, from the Learnings in the Prisoner's Dilemma.

Case Study Exercise : Trolley Problem 01

Case Study Exercise : Trolley Problem 02

The Prisoner's Dilemma, Cooperation, and Reciprocal Altruism, Part 1

The Prisoner's Dilemma, Cooperation, and Reciprocal Altruism, Part 2

Vampire Bats, and Reciprocal Altruism

Application Suggestions and Practice Exercise

Cultural and Moral Differences - Introduction (Part 1)

Cultural Dimensions of Behaviour, Part 2

Cultural Dimensions of Behaviour, Part 3

Cultural Dimensions of Behaviour, Part 4

Cultural Dimensions of Behaviour, Part 5

Cultural Differences - the Limitations (Part 6)

Cultural Differences - the Limitations (Part 7)

Other Parameters for Differences (Part 8)

The Effect of the Situation - Part 1

The Effect of the Situation - Part 2, with a Case Study!

The Effect of the Situation - Part 3

Case Study, The Effect of the Situation, Part 1

Case Study, The Effect of the Situation, Part 2

Recap and Lessons, Part 1

Recap and Lessons, Part 2

Additional Learnings and Applications for the Workplace

Case Study 1

Case Study, Practice Exercise

Some Trends, over time, Part 1

Some Trends, over time, Part 2

Just a quick Checkpoint!

Amazing Good Deeds!

Conditionally Good Deeds!

Bad Deeds!

The Ugly - Part 1. Horrors from Human History.

The Ugly - Part 2. History Horrors.

The Ugly - Part 3, of the Horrors of History

The Ugly - Part 4, and some Patterns

Something to think about : The Stress of Deception

Chimps, Bonobos and Humans, Part 1

Chimps, Bonobos and Humans, Part 2

Some Overall Learnings and Applications - Part 1

Some Overall Learnings and Applications - Part 2

Credits and Gratitude !

How to download your UDEMY CERTIFICATE, PDF enclosed.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores ethical behavior, integrity, and moral decision-making, which are essential qualities for leaders aiming to build trust and achieve long-term success within their organizations
Draws on research and insights from psychology, philosophy, history, and anthropology, offering a comprehensive understanding of ethics applicable across diverse professional contexts
Challenges learners to think critically about ethics and integrity, which enhances their ability to navigate complex moral dilemmas, especially in leadership roles within dynamic business environments
Offers practical insights and strategies to be more ethical in both personal and professional life, fostering personal growth and a stronger moral compass
Teaches valuable lessons and strategies to improve the culture, integrity, and ethics of an organization's employees and leaders, contributing to a more ethical corporate environment
Examines the evolution of morality and universal moral principles, providing a deeper understanding of the foundations of ethical behavior across cultures and throughout history

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
Save

Reviews summary

Ethical leadership insights & strategies

According to learners, this course offers valuable insights and strategies for ethical leadership, drawing on an interdisciplinary approach including psychology, philosophy, and history. Many students found the content practical and applicable to their professional and personal lives, praising the engaging lectures and the instructor's ability to explain complex topics clearly. The course is widely seen as providing a deep understanding of ethics beyond simple compliance, although a few reviewers felt it could be more focused on business-specific applications. Overall, it is highly recommended for those seeking to lead with integrity.
Content is organized logically and flows well.
"The structure of the course is logical and easy to follow, building concepts progressively."
"Modules are well-organized, making it simple to navigate through the different topics."
"The roadmap and navigation sections were helpful in understanding the course flow."
"Content is presented in a clear and organized manner."
Highly relevant for business leaders and managers.
"Highly relevant for anyone in a leadership or management position."
"The course content is directly applicable to the challenges faced by working professionals."
"This course is a must for anyone looking to strengthen their ethical leadership skills in a business context."
"As a manager, I found this course incredibly helpful for thinking about team ethics and organizational culture."
Draws on multiple fields like psychology, history, and philosophy.
"The interdisciplinary approach, incorporating psychology, history, and philosophy, provided a rich and nuanced perspective."
"I loved how the course integrated insights from various fields to explain ethical behavior."
"Bringing in perspectives from anthropology and evolution made the content uniquely insightful."
"This course uses research and insights from different fields to help us understand moral decision-making."
Instructor makes complex topics clear and interesting.
"The instructor is engaging and explains the concepts with clarity and passion."
"Lectures are well-structured and easy to follow, making learning enjoyable."
"I really enjoyed the instructor's teaching style. He made potentially dry material very interesting."
"The explanations were clear and concise, making the complex ideas accessible."
Provides strategies usable in real-world leadership situations.
"It provides practical insights and strategies that I can immediately apply in my professional life."
"The lessons are highly applicable to leadership roles and help navigate complex moral dilemmas."
"I found the practical application suggestions particularly useful for integrating the concepts into my work."
"The course gave me concrete tools and frameworks for thinking about ethical challenges at work."
Goes beyond basic compliance to explore ethical foundations.
"This course went above and beyond my expectations. It delves deep into ethics, not just as a set of rules but from psychological, historical, and cultural perspectives."
"I gained a deeper understanding of ethics that goes far beyond simple compliance. The interdisciplinary approach was fascinating."
"The course offers a comprehensive view on ethics and integrity, challenging you to think critically about real-world applications."
"I appreciate that this isn't just a 'check the box' ethics training. It explores the 'why' behind ethical behavior."
Could benefit from more specific business case studies.
"While the foundational concepts are strong, I wished for more specific business case studies to illustrate points."
"It leans more philosophical/theoretical at times; I was hoping for slightly more focus on corporate ethics specifics."
"Could be improved with more examples directly from the corporate world."
"Sometimes felt a bit general; more business-specific examples would be great."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Leadership and Business Ethics : Insights and Strategies ! with these activities:
Review 'Thinking, Fast and Slow'
Understand cognitive biases that affect ethical decision-making.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on biases.
  • Identify biases in your decisions.
  • Reflect on how to mitigate them.
Review 'The Power of Habit'
Learn how habits influence ethical behavior and organizational culture.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on habit loops.
  • Identify habits in your organization.
  • Develop strategies to change them.
Ethical Dilemma Blog Post
Solidify understanding of ethical frameworks by applying them to real-world scenarios.
Show steps
  • Research a current ethical dilemma.
  • Analyze it using course concepts.
  • Write a blog post summarizing findings.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Develop a Code of Ethics
Apply ethical principles to create a practical guide for an organization.
Show steps
  • Research existing codes of ethics.
  • Identify key ethical challenges.
  • Draft a code of ethics document.
  • Get feedback and revise the code.
Ethical Decision-Making Model
Synthesize course learnings into a practical tool for ethical decision-making.
Show steps
  • Review ethical frameworks from the course.
  • Design a decision-making model.
  • Create a presentation explaining the model.
Create a Presentation on Ethical Leadership
Deepen understanding of ethical leadership by creating a presentation.
Show steps
  • Research ethical leadership principles.
  • Develop a presentation outline.
  • Create visually appealing slides.
  • Practice the presentation.
Mentor junior colleagues
Reinforce ethical principles by guiding others in ethical decision-making.
Show steps
  • Offer guidance on ethical dilemmas.
  • Share insights from the course.
  • Provide constructive feedback.

Career center

Learners who complete Leadership and Business Ethics : Insights and Strategies ! will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Chief Ethics Officer
A Chief Ethics Officer leads the development and implementation of an organization's ethics and compliance programs. This course directly aligns with the role by providing a deep understanding of ethical behavior, integrity, and moral decision-making. The course's interdisciplinary approach, drawing from psychology, philosophy, history, and anthropology, equips a Chief Ethics Officer with a nuanced perspective for creating effective ethical frameworks. The analysis of factors influencing moral behavior, along with strategies to foster ethics, is essential for someone overseeing ethical conduct within an organization. The exploration of cultural influences on morality and the practical insights and strategies that this course brings will also be especially helpful.
Compliance Officer
A Compliance Officer ensures that a company adheres to laws, regulations, and internal policies. This course helps a Compliance Officer by going beyond basic rule-following to explore the deeper meaning of ethics, integrity, and morality. The course's analysis of how moral behavior is shaped by culture, norms, and psychology provides a broader understanding of the challenges in maintaining compliance. A course that delves into case studies and exercises on ethical dilemmas, as this one does, provides useful tools for a compliance officer who wants to foster a culture of ethics.
Human Resources Manager
A Human Resources Manager is responsible for creating a positive and ethical workplace environment. This course may be especially helpful for a person in this role because it explores the factors influencing moral behavior and provides strategies for fostering ethics within an organization. The course’s deep dive into ethical behavior, as shaped by culture and psychology, can inform and improve HR policies and practices. The course’s goal of helping others understand the environment and conditions that encourage ethical behavior aligns well with the responsibilities of a Human Resources Manager.
Management Consultant
Management Consultants advise organizations on improving their operational efficiency and effectiveness, which includes establishing ethical practices. This course provides a framework for consultants to understand ethical decision-making within organizations. The course explores how ethical culture can be shaped, and what factors influence moral behavior, offering consultants insights that can be applied to client organizations. By examining ethical issues through an interdisciplinary lens, the course may support a consultant's ability to address complex organizational challenges.
Organizational Development Specialist
An Organizational Development Specialist focuses on enhancing organizational effectiveness through various interventions, including culture and leadership development. This course may be useful for an organizational development specialist given its focus on ethical behavior, integrity, and moral decision-making. This course can help a specialist gain a deeper understanding of ethics by examining its roots in culture, psychology, and history. The course’s lessons on how to improve an organization's culture will be an advantage as they work to make positive changes within an organization.
Corporate Trainer
A Corporate Trainer develops and delivers training programs to enhance employee skills and knowledge, including training on ethics and compliance. This course explores ethical behavior, integrity, and moral decision-making, which equips a corporate trainer with a deep understanding of these topics. The course’s interdisciplinary approach will support trainers in creating engaging and relevant training content. The course’s focus on practical insights and strategies for cultivating ethical behavior provides useful tools for trainers to incorporate into their programs.
Project Manager
A Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects, and, in doing so, they must navigate ethical challenges. This course may be helpful for Project Managers by exploring how ethical behavior is shaped by factors like culture and individual psychology. A project manager must often make important decisions, and this course assists in ethical decision making. The course’s practical insights can improve a project manager's ability to foster a culture of integrity within their team and on their projects.
Nonprofit Director
A Nonprofit Director leads and manages a nonprofit organization, ensuring it operates ethically and effectively. This course may be useful for a nonprofit director, as it offers an in-depth look at ethics, integrity, and morality, which are critical to the success of any nonprofit. The course delves into how culture, norms, psychology, and history influence behavior, giving a director a deeper understanding of the environment they are leading. The course’s lessons for improving the ethical culture in an organization would be relevant for a leader trying to guide a nonprofit.
Public Relations Specialist
A Public Relations Specialist manages a company's public image and communication, often dealing with ethical considerations in its messaging. This course may be helpful for a public relations specialist because it analyzes the meaning of ethics, integrity, and morality. A specialist must consider ethical questions when handling communications. The course’s insights into how values are formed and how decisions are made, can be applied to their work. The practical insights will help enhance their ability to navigate sensitive communications while maintaining ethical standards.
Social Responsibility Manager
A Social Responsibility Manager develops and implements programs that align a company's business practices with ethical and social responsibility goals. This course may help a social responsibility manager by diving into the deeper implications of ethics and morality. The course's interdisciplinary approach, drawing from psychology, philosophy, history, and anthropology, can assist in developing comprehensive strategies for corporate social responsibility. The course’s focus on understanding the conditions and environments that encourage ethical behavior would be particularly relevant to this role.
Education Administrator
An Education Administrator oversees the operations of educational institutions, including the ethical conduct of staff and students. This course may be useful for Education Adminsistrators because it looks at ethics, integrity and morality in depth, drawing from history, anthropology and philosophy. The course helps one understand the factors influencing moral behavior, and offers strategies to foster ethical behavior. These are all critical concepts in building a positive, ethical environment in an educational institution.
Political Campaign Manager
A Political Campaign Manager is in charge of the operation and strategy of political campaigns, an area that often involves ethical considerations. This course may be helpful for a campaign manager as it delves into the drivers of ethical and moral behavior. The course explores how behaviors are influenced, and this is useful when building a team and also when trying to appeal to voters. Also the course's examination of what constitutes ethical conduct may assist a campaign manager in making better decisions in a difficult ethical terrain.
Journalist
A Journalist researches and reports on current events, which requires ethical considerations in sourcing and presenting information. This course may be helpful to a journalist because it analyzes ethical and moral behavior. The course’s insights into the psychological, cultural, and historical perspectives on ethics may enhance a journalist's understanding of their reporting's ethical dimensions. The course material can support a journalist in navigating sensitive ethical dilemmas when reporting.
Research Analyst
A Research Analyst gathers and analyzes data to provide insights, often related to business and organizational decision making. This course may be useful for a research analyst as it analyzes ethics, integrity, and morals. The course’s interdisciplinary approach provides a wider perspective on the topic of ethical decision making. The practical insights and strategies can be applied to research projects, especially those related to organizational behavior, leadership, and culture.
Marketing Manager
A Marketing Manager develops and implements marketing strategies, which often involve ethical considerations regarding advertising and customer relations. This course may be helpful for a marketing manager because it delves into the meaning of ethics, integrity, and morality. The course’s lessons on moral behavior and how it is influenced by culture and psychology can be especially useful in creating ethical marketing strategies. The course offers insights to help navigate the complex ethical issues that can arise in marketing.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Leadership and Business Ethics : Insights and Strategies !.
Save
Explores the two systems that drive the way we think. It provides a comprehensive overview of cognitive biases and heuristics that influence decision-making. Understanding these biases is crucial for ethical leadership, as it helps leaders recognize and mitigate their own biases and those of their team members. This book is highly relevant for understanding the psychological factors influencing moral behavior discussed in the course.
Explores the science of habit formation. It provides insights into how habits influence individual and organizational behavior. Understanding habits is essential for fostering ethical behavior in organizations, as it helps leaders create environments that promote positive habits and discourage unethical ones. This book provides a practical framework for changing habits and building a more ethical culture.

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser