Poetic engagement for developing ethical leadership as a force for positive change: reimagining your ethical voice in found poetry

Credibility and authenticity in leadership have become central concepts in contemporary approaches to understanding organisational behaviour; yet the shape of ethical development for practice – whether through ethical skills development or ethical behavioural interventions – remains somewhat enigmatic for staff in management and non-management roles (Buskirk et al. 2015). The central purpose of this professional development workshop is to provide a framework for participants to explore their leader identity and values and to ‘find’ and/or ‘reimagine’ their ethical leader voice through ‘found poetry’ in a reflective and creative experience. Producing poetry opens a unique space for exploring identity and values, gives voice to feelings, perceptions and genuine concerns, and fosters human connection (Armitage, 2015), which has the potential to support moral reasoning and moral action. To promote the enhancement of authenticity and credibility, this PDW proposes to facilitate a deeper exploration of ethical identity and values as forces for positive change in organisations. The activities tap into creative-emotional thinking toward the discovery and development of ethical voice through poetic engagement: both producing and reflecting on poetry in organisational and leadership contexts.