While the import of quantitative methods in

While the import of quantitative methods in determining
statistical relationships between the variables of human
values and ethical leadership must be acknowledged, the
need for a more interpretative approach to understanding
the immeasurable aspects of ethical leadership, as repre-
sented in the current study, is emerging. A number of
researchers (Trevino et al. 2003 ; April et al. 2010 ; Resick
et al. 2011 ) have approached the topic by means of qual-
itative methods. Trevino et al. ( 2003 ) conducted inductive
research by interviewing corporate ethics officers and
senior executives to examine ‘‘the perceived content
domain of executive ethical leadership’’ (p. 5), including
values and behaviors. April et al. ( 2010 ) had middle
managers, enrolled in MBA programs in South Africa and
the Netherlands, self-report enablers (values), and stum-
bling blocks to ethical action. Resick et al. ( 2011 ) used
qualitative methods to identify attributes (values are
included) and behaviors that managers from Asia, Amer-
ica, and Europe ascribe to ethical and unethical leaders.
Although their findings were consistent with the GLOBE
(House et al. 2004 ) framework of values across culture, the
Resick et al. ( 2011 ) did not design the study with the
GLOBE framework in mind. The three above-mentioned
qualitative studies explored particular phenomenon and did
not attempt to correlate findings to particular models or
frameworks, unlike the quantitative studies. These quali-
tative studies differ from the quantitative studies in that
they do not measure known variables; they explore per-
ceptions of each study’s participants through open-ended
questions. They do not generalize externally (Maxwell
2002 ), rather they explore multiple perspectives and
meanings in an attempt to understand the complex phe-
nomenon of ethical leadership within a particular, inter-
nally generalizable, context (Maxwell 2002 ). The
qualitative studies are not designed to measure variation;
they are more concerned with ‘‘describing in detail what
survey questionnaire results do not permit to be descri-
bed—the assumptions, behaviors, and attitudes of a very
special set [of participants] … .’’ (Freidson 1975 ,
pp. 272–273).
The study summarized in this paper utilized a qualitative
approach to add to the growing knowledge base that clar-
ifies and expands the concept of ethical leadership. How-
ever, unlike the qualitative studies described above, this
study investigated not only the phenomenon of ethical
leadership, but also examined how ethical leadership
develops. The context of the study was senior executives,
in American businesses ranging from small entrepreneurial
ventures to large multi-national corporations, who were
perceived by others, and identified themselves as ethical
leaders. The field of research on ethical leadership is young
and the topic broad and complex (Trevino et al. 2003 ),
providing ample territory for a constructivist theory-
building approach (Creswell 2003 ). Further, due to the
subjective nature of ethical leadership (Conger 1998 ) a
qualitative exploration may prove more suitable than post-