Abstract
This study introduces values drift— the gradual, often unconscious misalignment between actions and stated commitments, driven less by misconduct than by lack of awareness, inertia, or performance pressure. As an emerging leadership risk, values drift is increasingly amplified by algorithmic influence and efficiency metrics. This research extends the Values Lifecycle Framework to examine how leaders sustain values alignment in high-velocity, data-driven environments. Through qualitative interviews with 19 CEOs, three leadership typologies emerged: Defaulters, who maintain stability through routine; Correctors, who stand at pivotal choice points where recognition and response are possible but not guaranteed; and Balancers, who embed reflection in decision cycles to preempt misalignment. While the Data-Driven Era (1980s–2000s) emphasized objectivity and the Purpose Era (2010–2020) embraced values language, today’s Accountability Era reveals the risks of compromised decision-making as automated systems scale. This paper positions governance strategies as a natural extension of reflective leadership, proposing three tools—Values Integrity Reviews, Decision Disruption Protocols, and Deliberate Pause Practices—that embed reflection by design and interrupt automated momentum to support ethical alignment. These findings contribute to values-based leadership, organizational ethics, and algorithmic governance by offering scalable strategies for sustaining integrity under complexity.
Recommended Citation
Haskell, Christine
(2025)
"Leadership in the Accountability Era: Resisting Values Drift through Deliberate System Design,"
The Journal of Values-Based Leadership: Vol. 18
:
Iss.
2
, Article 17.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22543/1948-0733.1575
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol18/iss2/17
