Re-Imagining the Morality of Management: A Modern Virtue Ethics Approach
Open accessAbstract
In this paper the problematic nature of the morality of management, in particular related to business organisations operating under Anglo-American capitalism, is explored. MacIntyre’s critique of managers in After Virtue (1985) serves as the starting point but this critique is itself subjected to analysis leading to a more balanced and contemporary view of the morality of management than MacIntyre provides. Paradoxically perhaps, MacIntyre’s own virtues-goods-practice-institution schema is shown to provide a way of re-imagining business organisations and management and thereby holds out the possibility of resolving the issue of the morality of management within such organisations. Implications for management practice are drawn out.
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The source teachings of Jesus provide a spiritual foundation for ethical leadership in a way that redresses criticisms that SAW writings are instrumental and ahistorical.
“By drawing on these two sources, we argue that the source teachings of Jesus provide a spiritual foundation for ethical leadership in a way that redresses some the criticisms levelled at the generic spiritual literature, particularly those that argue that the SAW writings are instrumental and ahistorical in nature.”
From Having Burned the Straw Man of Christian Spiritual Leadership, what can We Learn from Jesus About Leading Ethically? (2017) · cites this paper as Moore (2008)
Moore suggests that the sustaining role is the domain of senior managers as leaders in a community, who have a unique opportunity to exercise virtuous leadership by protecting practices from corrupting influences of power, status or money.
“Moore (2008) suggests that this 'sustaining' role is the domain of senior managers as leaders in a community (or an institution). These are individuals who no longer take a role in the core practice but now represent the institution that houses the practices; these 'leaders' have a unique opportunity to exercise virtuous leadership by protecting the practices from the potentially corrupting influ”
From Having Burned the Straw Man of Christian Spiritual Leadership, what can We Learn from Jesus About Leading Ethically? (2017) · cites this paper as Moore 2008
By focusing on the core practice, ensuring its sustenance and pursuit of excellence, managers move from manipulators to participants.
“''By focussing on the core practice, ensuring its sustenance and pursuit of excellence, managers move from manipulators to participants'' (Moore 2008, p. 505).”
From Having Burned the Straw Man of Christian Spiritual Leadership, what can We Learn from Jesus About Leading Ethically? (2017) · cites this paper as Moore 2008
Cites
The Misappropriation of MacIntyre
Beadle, R. (2002) · Philosophy of Management · doi:10.5840/pom2002226 · Cited by 59 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Third that management is one of the most powerful myths of the modern order and finally that managers themselves inhabit a deep personal compartmentalisation without which their social role could not be understood” (Beadle 2002: 45–46).”
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Virtue ethics as a resource in business
Audi, R. (2012) · Business Ethics Quarterly · doi:10.5840/beq201222220 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Mabey, C., Conroy, M., Blakeley, K., & de Marco, S. (2017) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-016-3054-5 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
The situationist critique of virtue ethics
Sreenivasan, G. (2013) · The Cambridge Companion to Virtue Ethics · doi:10.1017/cco9780511734786.014 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Alasdair MacIntyre and Adam Smith on markets, virtues and ends in a capitalist economy
Oslington, P. (2023) · Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility · doi:10.1111/beer.12560 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“3 Important work in business ethics stimulated by MacIntyre includes Moore (2002, 2005, 2008, 2017), Beadle (2002), Wicks (1997), Dobson (2009), Beabout (2012) and Sinnicks (2014, 2019, 2020).”
Background
- Authors
- Moore, G.
- Affiliations
- Durham University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Moore, Geoff
- ORCID
- Moore, Geoff
- Venue
- Business Ethics Quarterly
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2008-10
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 483-511
- ISSN
- 1052-150X (ISSN-L)
- 2153-3326
- OpenAlex
- W2159415491
- Cited by
- 189
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 12.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- Business Ethics Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (acceptedVersion)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Ethics in Business and Education
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Philosophical Ethics and Theory
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
- Keywords
- virtue ethics, Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue, business organization, Anglo-American capitalism, management practices
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