The authors accentuate the necessity to stress the character development. They contrast this approach to existing practices that have focused on teaching functional content over character.
The crisis of confidence in leadership.
The role of business schools in teaching leadership and in developing leaders. They focus primarily on teaching leadership skills and competencies.
Integrate a focus on character development into existing business programs, both in terms of curriculum development and classroom techniques.
Developing character within business school context.
The authors of the article adopt the definitions provided by Peterson and Seligman (2004) (classification and description of virtues and character strengths). They use this as a starting point for their own approach. The definitions of the 6 virtues and their associated character traits are as follows:
Wisdom – cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge (creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, perspective)
Courage – emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal (bravery, perseverance, honesty, zest)
Humanity – interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others (love, kindness, social intelligence)
Justice – civic strengths that underlie healthy community life (teamwork, fairness, leadership)
Temperance – strengths that protect against excess (forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation)
Transcendence – strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning (appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality)
The authors point out the fact that “an individual’s character consists of both habitual qualities or character strengths and a second, more motivational component”.
The essay explicates human personality in terms of character traits, which consists of habitual qualities and strengths or weaknesses and...