Chapter 9: Ethical Issues in Higher Education

Ethical leadership in higher education (HE) is a topic that drives educational systems today. This chapter is intended to frame a discussion around the topic of ethical leadership in HE and make connections with transformative and spiritual leadership roles. This chapter integrates case studies that are focused on several topics from international agendas: ethical leadership in HE (conducted through a university in Uganda); spiritual leaders compared ethical and transformative leaders on an international level (conducted from Uganda); how transformational leadership is merging in HE in South Africa; overt roles of transformational leadership in the context of organizational change that is universal or culturally specific in HE schools in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Western Australia and Central Africa, and Central Canada; and a practical model of reinforcing spiritual leadership in high education in Iran. Research ethics, compliance, and handling conflicts of interest depending on diverse cultures, research areas, and methodologies are discussed in relation to ethical leadership. These agendas help to develop researchers’ judgment and reflections during the research process. Findings reveal that in HE, ethical leadership can be an interpersonal influence and leadership agenda that guides others to comprehend the same goals. This leader agenda brings together individual and collective efforts. This chapter reveals contextual ideas between these three leadership roles by discussing the similarities and differences during the implementation processes and considering compliance issues. Recommendations for future improvement of these leadership models and the implications for research and practice are explored.