Nanoscientists’ perceptions of serving as ethical leaders within their organization: Implications from ethical leadership for responsible innovation

Abstract

Ethical leadership is a key component of responsible research innovation within science organizations because it fosters democratic participation in ethical behaviors among the scientists conducting the research innovation. Although scholars agree with the importance of roles from scientists in improving the societal impacts of science organizations, little is known about scientists' understanding of their potential role as ethical leaders. To fill this gap, our current study analyzes qualitative data collected from 132 nanoscientists about their perceptions of ethics and ethical leadership in the workspace. Five types of ethical leadership were culled from open-ended data collected in the survey: Exemplar, Codifier, Visionary, Philosopher, and Communicator. These emergent leadership constructs suggest a starting point for researchers and administrators to develop a path forward for responsible research innovation training programs that can help scientists lead the members of their organizations toward making important linkages between the work they do and larger societal contexts.