The Effect of Moral Development and Moral Identity on Integrity

Abstract

This study assessed two personal level concepts—moral development and moral identity—to provide greater insight into how they influence moral integrity, with the ultimate goal of illuminating organizational effectiveness in teaching integrity and developing honesty and integrity in emerging leaders. In the end, the study addressed one of the most pressing leadership issues today: individual character development. The study followed a crosssectional, quantitative, survey-based approach using a combined, three-part instrument to gather data from college-level participants enrolled in an established leader development program. This approach provided relative ease and efficiency in collecting data from numerous participants to test the hypotheses expeditiously and avoid biases. The combined instrument included the Defining Issues Test-2, which measures moral development; the Moral Identity Measure, which measures moral identity; and the Integrity Scale, which measures integrity. The findings supported the research hypotheses, indicating that a leader’s moral development and moral identity have a positive effect on the moral integrity that the leader exhibits. The paper concludes by recommending a practical step to enhance internalized moral identity—the strongest predictor of integrity based on the findings—and how integrity is taught and developed as a character virtue in leadership development programs. The role of the manager is to identify and to mention how achieving the goals of the company ensures the satisfaction of the employees. The motivation of the employees not only brings personal satisfaction but also physical satisfaction. Besides all these, the self-respect grows a lot. Trusting their own power, the positivism will bring you only benefits and performance.

Keywords

• moral development
• moral identity
• organizational integrity
• leadership