The Virtues-Based Leadership Model: Assessing Consistency Across Three Spheres-of-Life

<p>This study develops and tests whether the virtues-based leadership model is able to identify consistencies and inconsistencies in a leader’s use of cardinal and theological virtues (the seven Christian virtues) across their embraced, espoused and enacted spheres of life. I present an exploratory qualitative descriptive design using a problem-driven content analysis based within a neo-Aristotelian ethics framework focusing on Ronald Reagan’s presidency as the single case study and exploring whether his personally embraced writings, publicly espoused speeches, and executively enacted orders contain concepts related to the seven Christian virtues (fortitude, justice, prudence, temperance, faith, hope and love). Ronald Reagan was chosen because of his openly professed belief in God, his role in virtues-based decision making and access to public records for the purpose of research. The study looks more specifically at the consistency of Reagan’s references to both the cardinal and theological virtues in handling three events: (1) the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) event; (2) the Father Jenco event; and (3) the Nicholas Daniloff event. It treats a leader as one who has the duty or expectation and authority (delegated or direct) to take action, even if that action is inaction, to accomplish a specified goal. The study concludes that the virtues-based leadership model can, in fact, identify consistencies and inconsistencies in a leader’s use of the cardinal virtues across their embraced, espoused and enacted spheres-of-life. I also offer suggestions on how the virtues-based leadership model adds to the body of academic literature and how the model can be applied in the pragmatic professional leadership arena.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Social Work and Social Ecology

Year

2014

Author dc:creator

• Smith, Vicki L.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Clark, Mark T.
• Davidian, Richard
• Schubert, Christiane

• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Virtues; Leadership; Cardinal Virtues; Theological Virtues
• Virtues-Based Leadership
• Seven Christian Virtues
• Cardinal Virtues
• Theological Virtues

Statement dc:rights

• This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/169

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1169