Skip to main content
  • Foundation
  • Executive network
  • CEO Circle
  • SHRM Business
  • Linkage Logo
  • Store
  • Sign In
  • Account
    • My Account
    • Logout
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
SHRM
About
Book a Speaker
Join Today
Renew
Rejoin Now
Renew
  • Membership
  • Certification
    Certification

    Smiling asian student studying in library with laptop books doing online research for coursework, making notes for essay homework assignment, online education e-learning concept
    Get Certified!

    Be recognized as an HR leader with your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential.

    • How to Get Certified

      Demonstrate your ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations. No other HR certification compares.

      • How to Get Certified
      • Eligibility Criteria
      • Exam Details and Fees
      • SHRM-CP
      • SHRM-SCP
      • Which Certification is Best for Me
      • Certification FAQs
    • Prepare for the Exam

      Give yourself the best chance to pass your SHRM certification exam.

      • Exam Preparation
      • SHRM BASK
      • SHRM Learning System
      • Instructor-Led Learning
      • Self-Study
      • Study Aids & Add-ons
    • Recertification

      Recertify your SHRM Credentials before your end date!

      • Specialty Credentials
      • Qualifications
      Certification Portal
  • Topics & Tools
    Topics & Tools

    Stay up to date with workplace news and leverage our vast library of resources to streamline day-to-day HR tasks.

    The white house in washington, dc.
    Executive Order Impact Zone

    Do not abandon, but evaluate and evolve. It is about legal, equal opportunity for all.

    • News & Trends

      Follow breaking news and emerging workplace trends.

      Legal & Compliance

      Stay informed on workplace legal updates and their impacts.

      From the Workplace

      Explore diverse perspectives from your peers on today's workplaces.

      Flagships

      Get curated collections of podcasts, videos, articles, and more produced by SHRM.

    • HR Topics
      • AI in the Workplace
      • Civility at Work
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Inclusion & Diversity
      • Talent Acquisition
      • Workplace Technology
      • Workplace Violence Prevention
      SEE ALL
      SHRM Research
    • Tools & Samples

      Access member resources and tools to streamline HR tasks.

      • Forms & Checklists
      • How-To Guides
      • Interactive Tools
      • Job Descriptions
      • Policies
      • Toolkits
      SEE ALL
      Ask an Advisor
  • Events & Education
    Events & Education

    SHRM25 in San Diego, June 29 - July 2, 2025
    Join us for SHRM25 in San Diego

    Register for the World’s Largest HR Conference being held on June 29 - July 2, 2025

    • Events
      • SHRM25
      • The AI+HI Project 2025
      • INCLUSION 2025
      • Talent 2026
      • Linkage Institute 2025
      SEE ALL
      Webinars
    • Educational Programs

      Designed and delivered by HR experts to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to drive lasting change in the workplace.

      Specialty Credentials

      Demonstrate targeted competence and enhance credibility among peers and employers.

      Qualifications

      Gain a deeper understanding and develop critical skills.

    • Team Training & Development

      Customized training programs unique to your organization’s needs.

  • Business Solutions
  • Advocacy
    Advocacy

    Make your voice heard on public policy issues impacting the workplace.

    Advocacy
    SHRM's President & CEO testifies to Congress on "The State of American Education"
    • Policy Areas
      • Workforce Development
      • Workplace Inclusion
      • Workplace Flexibility & Leave
      • Workplace Governance
      • Workplace Health Care
      • Workplace Immigration
      State Affairs

      SHRM advances policy solutions in state legislatures nationwide.

      Global Policy

      SHRM is the go-to for global HR leaders and businesses on workplace matters.

    • Advocacy Team (A-Team)

      SHRM’s A-Team is a key member benefit, giving you the tools, insights, and opportunities to shape workplace policy and drive real impact.

      Take Action

      Urge lawmakers to support policies that create lasting, positive change.

      Advocacy & Legislative Resources

      Access SHRM’s curated policy materials and content.

    • SHRM-Led Coalitions
      • Generation Cares
      • The Section 127 Coalition
      • Learn More & Partner with SHRM Government Affairs
  • Community
    Community

    Woman raising hand in group
    Find a SHRM Chapter

    Easily find a local professional or student chapter in your area.

    • Chapters

      Find local connections from over 607 chapters and state councils and create your personalized HR network.

      SHRM Connect

      Post polls, get crowdsourced answers to your questions and network with other HR professionals online.

      SHRM Northern California

      Join SHRM members in the greater San Francisco Bay area for local events and networking.

    • Membership Councils

      Learn about SHRM's five regional councils and the Membership Advisory Council (MAC).

      • Membership Advisory Council
      • Regional Councils
    • Volunteers

      Learn about volunteer opportunities with SHRM.

      • Volunteer Leader Resource Center
Close
  • Membership
  • Certification
    back
    Certification
    Smiling asian student studying in library with laptop books doing online research for coursework, making notes for essay homework assignment, online education e-learning concept
    Get Certified!

    Be recognized as an HR leader with your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential.

    • How to Get Certified

      Demonstrate your ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations. No other HR certification compares.

      • How to Get Certified
      • Eligibility Criteria
      • Exam Details and Fees
      • SHRM-CP
      • SHRM-SCP
      • Which Certification is Best for Me
      • Certification FAQs
    • Prepare for the Exam

      Give yourself the best chance to pass your SHRM certification exam.

      • Exam Preparation
      • SHRM BASK
      • SHRM Learning System
      • Instructor-Led Learning
      • Self-Study
      • Study Aids & Add-ons
    • Recertification

      Recertify your SHRM Credentials before your end date!

      • Specialty Credentials
      • Qualifications
      Certification Portal
  • Topics & Tools
    back
    Topics & Tools

    Stay up to date with workplace news and leverage our vast library of resources to streamline day-to-day HR tasks.

    The white house in washington, dc.
    Executive Order Impact Zone

    Do not abandon, but evaluate and evolve. It is about legal, equal opportunity for all.

    • News & Trends

      Follow breaking news and emerging workplace trends.

      Legal & Compliance

      Stay informed on workplace legal updates and their impacts.

      From the Workplace

      Explore diverse perspectives from your peers on today's workplaces.

      Flagships

      Get curated collections of podcasts, videos, articles, and more produced by SHRM.

    • HR Topics
      • AI in the Workplace
      • Civility at Work
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Inclusion & Diversity
      • Talent Acquisition
      • Workplace Technology
      • Workplace Violence Prevention
      SEE ALL
      SHRM Research
    • Tools & Samples

      Access member resources and tools to streamline HR tasks.

      • Forms & Checklists
      • How-To Guides
      • Interactive Tools
      • Job Descriptions
      • Policies
      • Toolkits
      SEE ALL
      Ask an Advisor
  • Events & Education
    back
    Events & Education
    SHRM25 in San Diego, June 29 - July 2, 2025
    Join us for SHRM25 in San Diego

    Register for the World’s Largest HR Conference being held on June 29 - July 2, 2025

    • Events
      • SHRM25
      • The AI+HI Project 2025
      • INCLUSION 2025
      • Talent 2026
      • Linkage Institute 2025
      SEE ALL
      Webinars
    • Educational Programs

      Designed and delivered by HR experts to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to drive lasting change in the workplace.

      Specialty Credentials

      Demonstrate targeted competence and enhance credibility among peers and employers.

      Qualifications

      Gain a deeper understanding and develop critical skills.

    • Team Training & Development

      Customized training programs unique to your organization’s needs.

  • Business Solutions
  • Advocacy
    back
    Advocacy

    Make your voice heard on public policy issues impacting the workplace.

    Advocacy
    SHRM's President & CEO testifies to Congress on "The State of American Education"
    • Policy Areas
      • Workforce Development
      • Workplace Inclusion
      • Workplace Flexibility & Leave
      • Workplace Governance
      • Workplace Health Care
      • Workplace Immigration
      State Affairs

      SHRM advances policy solutions in state legislatures nationwide.

      Global Policy

      SHRM is the go-to for global HR leaders and businesses on workplace matters.

    • Advocacy Team (A-Team)

      SHRM’s A-Team is a key member benefit, giving you the tools, insights, and opportunities to shape workplace policy and drive real impact.

      Take Action

      Urge lawmakers to support policies that create lasting, positive change.

      Advocacy & Legislative Resources

      Access SHRM’s curated policy materials and content.

    • SHRM-Led Coalitions
      • Generation Cares
      • The Section 127 Coalition
      • Learn More & Partner with SHRM Government Affairs
  • Community
    back
    Community
    Woman raising hand in group
    Find a SHRM Chapter

    Easily find a local professional or student chapter in your area.

    • Chapters

      Find local connections from over 607 chapters and state councils and create your personalized HR network.

      SHRM Connect

      Post polls, get crowdsourced answers to your questions and network with other HR professionals online.

      SHRM Northern California

      Join SHRM members in the greater San Francisco Bay area for local events and networking.

    • Membership Councils

      Learn about SHRM's five regional councils and the Membership Advisory Council (MAC).

      • Membership Advisory Council
      • Regional Councils
    • Volunteers

      Learn about volunteer opportunities with SHRM.

      • Volunteer Leader Resource Center
Join Today
Renew
Rejoin Now
Renew
  • Store
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
  • About
  • Book a Speaker
  • Foundation
  • Executive network
  • CEO Circle
  • SHRM Business
  • Linkage Logo
SHRM
Sign In
  • Account
    • My Account
    • Logout
Close

  1. Topics & Tools
  2. Workplace News & Trends
  3. Personality Influences Ethics of Leaders
Share
  • Linked In
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus convallis sem tellus, vitae egestas felis vestibule ut.


Error message details.

Copy button
Reuse Permissions

Request permission to republish or redistribute SHRM content and materials.


Learn More
Viewpoint

Personality Influences Ethics of Leaders

July 19, 2012 | Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR


When asked, most people say they are ethical, according to Cris Wildermuth, SPHR, assistant professor of adult learning and organizational performance at Drake University. Yet whether leaders act ethically or not depends on personality, the situation and other factors.

“Personality impacts the way we look at ethical dilemmas,” Wildermuth said during a webinar titled “Decoding Leadership Ethics,” held July 13, 2012, and sponsored by the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies (CentACS). Personality is a pattern of behaviors displayed by an individual most of the time, she said—or the way someone is recognized by the world.

Wildermuth, a master trainer on the Workplace Big Five Profile, a CentACS product, introduced the topic by describing the five traits that explain most personality differences:

  • Stability. People fall somewhere on a spectrum between nervous and calm, she said. Some people are resilient and have a high tolerance for stress; others are more nervous: “I’m a proud member of the ‘freak out society,’ ” she told participants.
  • Extraversion. Some people crave social contact and stimulation of the senses; others need more peace and quiet, she noted. “Extraverts have more tolerance for the bombardment of people,” she said.
  • Originality. Some seek the efficiency that comes from a stable environment while others like innovation, newness and “change for change’s sake,” she explained. Efficient people are most likely to say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” she said, while original people might say “If it ain’t broke, let’s break it and see what happens,” she added.
  • Accommodation. Some people are “challenging” while others are “agreeable,” Wildermuth said, so this personality trait focuses on individuals’ ability to adjust to other people’s needs. “Challengers challenge all the time; it’s harder for them to get to their goals,” she said. On the other end are adapters—people who adapt to other people’s needs.
  • Consolidation. This trait means that some people are more methodical and focused while others are more flexible and spontaneous, she said.

Big Five Personality Traits

STABILITY

Nervous

Moderate

Calm

EXTRAVERSION

Introverted

Moderate

Extraverted

ORIGINALITY

Efficient

Moderate

Original

ACCOMMODATION

Challenging

Moderate

Agreeable

CONSOLIDATION

Flexible

Moderate

Focused

Source: Workplace Big Five Profile, www.centacs.com

“Personality is neither good nor bad,” Wildermuth said in a video introduction to the webcast. “Personality is always relative … it’s all about how we relate to each other.”

What Does Personality Have to Do with Ethics?

Wildermuth said that research into the five personality traits revealed that the “typical leader” is most likely to be calm, extraverted, original, challenging and focused.

Yet those most likely to comply with rules and policies have other traits in common. Using the profile above, she noted that rule followers tend to be nervous, introverted, efficient, agreeable and focused. In other words, four out of the five traits common to leaders are the exact opposite of the traits common to those who follow rules.

This is problematic, she suggested, because organizations typically handle ethical issues by:

  • Enforcing compliance with policies.
  • Using “integrity tests” to try to weed out people who don’t have integrity.
  • Intervening when an ethics problem is brought to their attention.

Yet Wildermuth said there is only one personality trait that impacts integrity tests, and that is consolidation: the extent to which someone is flexible or focused. Thus, if organizations rely on integrity test results when making selection and promotion decisions, they will weed out those with important leadership traits as well as those with other personality traits needed for a well-balanced workplace.

Exploring Why Ethical Problems Occur

Wildermuth said there are three root causes of ethical problems:

Moral intuition. When individuals are faced with a dilemma they often react immediately, relying on a gut reaction. “We reach a decision, and then justify it morally,” she said. “We think the justification is our moral reasoning but actually, the moral reasoning occurs first.”

Self-deception. Human beings are really good at deceiving themselves into believing that ethical situations are not ethical situations, she explained. Thus, people believe they are ethical because when they act unethically they have already eliminated ethics from a situation. Moreover, humans “gradually become immune to lapses in ethics,” Wildermuth said, by using euphemisms such as “this is just business” and “collateral damage” to justify their actions. “People don’t decide suddenly to act totally unethically,” she noted; it happens over time.

“In group” bias. Humans have a tendency to like those who look and act like themselves. This means they are more likely to look the other way when someone they like does something wrong. This is a very powerful psychological tendency, she said.

Another Factor Influencing Moral Decisions

Wildermuth explained that individuals tend to view ethical decisions in a different way the further such decisions are removed from their own circles of influence. For example, if an ethical decision has a direct impact on an individual or an individual’s family or friends, they are more likely to bend rules or view the situation in a different way than if the same situation affects groups that are farther removed from their circle, such as their community or country.

Moreover, when a situation involves an individual’s family or friends, they are more likely to focus on their relationships and use empathy and care in making a decision. In contrast, those situations involving one’s country or community are more likely to be made using principles such as justice and fairness.

Yet in order to solve a moral dilemma individuals must exercise a combination of justice and care, she explained. This is good news for HR professionals who worry about becoming too close to employees because they fear they will lack objectivity in dealing with employee issues.

Evaluating Ethical Dilemmas

When dealing with ethical situations, leaders should slow down and ask themselves a series of questions, Wildermuth suggested, such as:

  • Did I reach the decision freely?
  • Did I consider alternative decisions?
  • Does the decision feel authentic and match my personal code of ethics?
  • Would I acknowledge this decision publicly?
  • Would I teach others to make the same decision?
  • If the circumstances were different, would I still make the same decision?

In addition, Wildermuth encouraged participants to ask themselves what happens if a top performer commits an ethical violation in their workplace. “If the answer is ‘nothing,’ forget about introducing ethics in your organization,” she said.

“There is no reason to have value statements on the wall if the company’s leaders won’t live [the values],” she added.

Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR, is an online editor/manager for SHRM.

Quick Links:

Ethics and Sustainability Home Page

Introduction to Ethics and Sustainability


Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace

​An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.



Related Content

Kelly Dobbs Bunting speaks onstage at SHRM24
(opens in a new tab)
News
Why AI+HI Is Essential to Compliance

HR must always include human intelligence and oversight of AI in decision-making in hiring and firing, a legal expert said at SHRM24. She added that HR can ensure compliance by meeting the strictest AI standards, which will be in Colorado’s upcoming AI law.

(opens in a new tab)
News
A 4-Day Workweek? AI-Fueled Efficiencies Could Make It Happen

The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.

(opens in a new tab)
News
How One Company Uses Digital Tools to Boost Employee Well-Being

Learn how Marsh McLennan successfully boosts staff well-being with digital tools, improving productivity and work satisfaction for more than 20,000 employees.

HR Daily Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest HR news, trends, and expert advice each business day.

Success title

Success caption

Manage Subscriptions
  • About SHRM
  • Careers at SHRM
  • Press Room
  • Contact SHRM
  • Book a SHRM Executive Speaker
  • Advertise with Us
  • Partner with Us
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Post a Job
  • Find an HR Job
Follow Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • SHRM Newsletters
  • Ask An Advisor

© 2025 SHRM. All Rights Reserved

SHRM provides content as a service to its readers and members. It does not offer legal advice, and cannot guarantee the accuracy or suitability of its content for a particular purpose. Disclaimer


  1. Privacy Policy

  2. Terms of Use

  3. Accessibility

Join SHRM for Exclusive Access to Member Content

SHRM Members enjoy unlimited access to articles and exclusive member resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Limit Reached

Get unlimited access to articles and member-exclusive resources.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join to access unlimited articles and member-only resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join the Executive Network and enjoy unlimited content.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join and enjoy unlimited access to SHRM Executive Network Content.

Already a member?
Unlock Your Career with SHRM Membership

Please enjoy this free resource! Join SHRM for unlimited access to exclusive articles and tools.

Already a member?

Your membership is almost expired! Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew now

Your membership has expired. Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew Now

Your Executive Network membership is nearing its expiration. Renew now to maintain access.

Renew Now

Your membership has expired. Renew your Executive Network benefits today.

Renew Now