Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss the role of empathy in ethical leadership development. Empathy as a social practice deeply relates to ethics. Particularly three ethical concepts including generosity, care, and responsibility have a strong link with empathy in leadership practice. Generosity forms the ethical basis that enables individuals to be open and recognize others’ emotional states, as opposed to being self-centered. Caring about and feeling responsible for others motivates leaders to share others’ emotions and empathize. Concerning empathy as a critical building block of ethical leadership, we introduce two methods for human resource development (HRD) scholars to examine empathy in ethical leadership. One is electroencephalography from a neuroscience perspective. The other is video-based methods with the use of AI-enabled verbal and non-verbal emotion expression analysis. The recent advancement of technology has enabled researchers to investigate neurobiological aspects of empathy and its relationship with ethics. Furthermore, a video-based AI-enabled method can help examine people's interactions with a focus on empathy. Using neurobiological and video-based social cognition approaches, we discuss how leaders can develop empathy that leads to ethical leadership. We conclude the chapter with future research and practice recommendations.