The Stoic Paradigm of Ethics as a Philosophical Tool for Objectifying the Concepts of Organizational Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Corporate Governance

PDF
Published: Dec 29, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.37932
Keywords:
ethics stoic philosophy leadership organizational ethics corporate social responsibility corporate governance
Olga Kourtoglou
University of Western Macedonia, Greece
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6035-0426
Elias Vavouras
University of Western Macedonia, Greece
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5334-0743
Nikolaos Sariannidis
University of Western Macedonia, Greece
Abstract

In this article, the relationship between ethics in general and business ethics in particular to Stoic philosophy is investigated. Stoic ethics is used as a research tool, which step-by-step deciphers the position of the human as a functional part of a larger organization, such as the natural environment or civil society. Ethics is inextricably linked to the rational, free choice of what is right for both the individual and the total organism. Ethical rightness imposes a form of rational order within the organization, in the sense that each part must perform the function appropriate to its abilities. At the maximum degree of ethical integration stands the paradigm of the Stoic sage as a model of a virtuous leader, who is able to understand the causes of each decision or action and direct the organization towards the set goal. From this perspective, concepts such as leadership, organizational ethics, or corporate social responsibility acquire an objective status and view the philosophical cosmopolitanism of the Stoic sage as a timeless example of ethical rightness.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biography
Olga Kourtoglou, University of Western Macedonia, Greece

Dr. Olga Kourtoglou is a Doctor of Philosophy (University of Johannesburg) on Political Theory and the political Worldview of Byzantium through the work of George Akropolitis. Currently she is postdoctoral researcher at the University of Western Macedonia in the School of Economics, Department of Management Science and Technology. He has participated in many conferences, edited proceedings, and written about philosophy.

References
Ampofo, Akwasi, Bahaudin Mujtaba, Frank Cavico, and Laura Tindall. “The Relationship Between Organizational Ethical Culture and the Ethical Behavior of Employees: A Study of Accounting and Finance Professionals in the Insurance Industry of United States.” Journal of Business and Economic Research 2, no. 2 (2011): 13-24.
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. University of California.
Arnim, Hans Friedrich August von. Stoicorum Veterum Fragmenta. Stuttgart: Teubner, 1964.
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. University of California.
Brouwer, René. The Stoic Sage: The Early Stoics on Wisdom, Sagehood and Socrates. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139162487.
Brown, Michael, and Linda Treviño. “Ethical Leadership: A Review and Future Directions.” Leadership Quarterly 17, no. 6 (2006): 595-616. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.10.004.
Brown, Michael, Linda Treviño, and David Harrison. “Ethical Leadership: A Social Learning Perspective for Construct Development and Testing.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 97, no. 2 (2005): 117-134. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002.
Chatman, Jennifer A. “Improving Interactional Organizational Research: A Model of Person-Organization Fit.” The Academy of Management Review 14, no. 3 (1989): 333-349. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/258171.
Chroust, Anton-Hermann. “The Ideal Polity of the Early Stoics: Zeno's Republic.” The Review of Politics 27, no. 2 (1965): 173-183. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670500006896.
Cicero. “De finibus.” The Latin Library. http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/cicero/fin.shtml.
Collinson, David. “Dichotomies, Dialectics and Dilemmas: New Directions for Critical Leadership Studies?” Leadership 10, no. 1 (2014): 36-55. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715013510807.
Cooper, John. “The Emotional Life of the Wise.” The Southern Journal of Philosophy 43, s. 1 (2005): 176-218. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-6962.2005.tb01985.x.
Corvino, Fausto. “Sweatshops, Harm and Exploitation: A Proposal to Operationalise the Model of Structural Injustice.” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 5, no. 2 (2020): 9-23. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.24898.
De George, Richard. “Can Corporations Have Moral Responsibilities?” University of Dayton Review 15, no. 2 (1981): 3-15.
DeBode, Jason, Achilles Armenakis, Hubert Field, and Alan Walker. “Assessing Ethical Organizational Culture: Refinement of a Scale.” Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 49, no. 4 (2013): 460-484. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0021886313500987.
Dierksmeier, Claus. “What is ‘Humanistic’ about Humanistic Management?” Humanistic Management Journal 1, no. 1 (2016): 9-32. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41463-016-0002-6.
Dimitriou, Dimitrios. “Corporate Ethics: Philosophical Concepts Guiding Business Practices.” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 7, no. 1 (2022): 33-60. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.29864.
Diogenes Laertius. Vitae philosophorum. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. University of California.
Douglas, Patricia, Ronald Davidson, and Bill Schwartz. “The Effect of Organizational Culture and Ethical Orientation on Accountants’ Ethical Judgments.” Journal of Business Ethics 34, no. 2 (2001): 101-121. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1012261900281.
Edelstein, Ludwig. The Meaning of Stoicism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1966.
Epictetus. Dissertationes. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. University of California.
Epley, Nicholas, and Amit Kumar. “How to Design an Ethical Organization.” Harvard Business Review 97, no. 3 (2019): 144-150.
Freeman, Edward R., and Jeanne Liedtka. “Corporate Social Responsibility: A Critical Approach.” Business Horizons 34, no. 4 (1991): 92-99. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0007-6813(91)90012-K.
French, Peter. “The Corporation as a Moral Person.” American Philosophy Quarterly 16, no. 3 (1979): 207-215.
Gohl, Christopher. “Reimagining Business Ethics as Ethos-Driven Practice: A Deweyan Perspective.” Journal of Human Values 30, no. 1 (2024): 75-90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/09716858231223680 .
Hiekkataipale, Minna-Maaria, and Anna-Maija Lämsä. “(A)moral Agents in Organizations? The Significance of Ethical Organization Culture for Middle Managers’ Exercise of Moral Agency in Ethical Problems.” Journal of Business Ethics 155, no. 1 (2019): 147-161. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3511-9.
Hope, Nigel. A Commentary on the De Constantia Sapientis of Seneca the Younger. Royal Holloway: University of London, 2017.
Huehn, Matthias. “Ethics as a Catalyst for Change in Business Education?” Journal of Management Development 35, no. 2 (2016): 170-189. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-02-2015-0027.
Hühn, Matthias, and Marcel Meyer. “Sophistry or Wisdom in Words: Aristotle on Rhetoric and Leadership.” Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility 32, no. 2 (2023): 544-554. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12516.
Hühn, Matthias, and Sara Mandray. “Is Rationality Reasonable? How Ancient Logos Changes Management Theory.” Journal of Business Ethics 191, no. 3 (2023): 1-15. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05487-w.
Huhtala, Mari, Taru Feldt, Anna-Maija Lämsä, Saija Mauno, and Ulla Kinnunen. “Does the Ethical Culture of Organisations Promote Managers’ Occupational Well-Being? Investigating Indirect Links via Ethical Strain.” Journal of Business Ethics 101, no. 1 (2011): 231-247. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0719-3.
Hunt, Shelby, Van Wood, and Lawrence Chonko. “Corporate Ethical Values and Organizational Commitment in Marketing.” Journal of Marketing 53, no. 3 (1989): 79-90. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002224298905300309.
Ioannidis, Iraklis. “Shackling the Poor, or Effective Altruism: A Critique of the Philosophical Foundation of Effective Altruism.” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 5, no. 2 (2020): 25-46. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.22296.
Irwin, Judith, and Katherine Bradshaw. “The Ethics Challenge: Establishing an Ethics Ambassador Network to Help Embed an Ethical Culture.” Strategic HR Review 10, no. 4 (2011): 26-32. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14754391111140972.
Jasinska, Aleksandra. “Bring Back Philosophy: The Roots of Both Business and Ethics.” Journal of Human Values 30, no. 1 (2024): 26-31. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/09716858231215665.
Kangas, Maiju, Joona Muotka, Mari Huhtala, Anne Mäkikangas, and Taru Feldt. “Is the Ethical Culture of the Organization Associated with Sickness Absence? A Multilevel Analysis in a Public Sector Organization.” Journal of Business Ethics 140, no. 1 (2017): 131-145. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2644-y.
Kaptein, Muel. “Developing and Testing a Measure for the Ethical Culture of Organizations: The Corporate Ethical Virtues Model.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 29, no. 7 (2008): 923-947. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.520.
Key, Susan. “Organizational Ethical Culture: Real or Imagined?” Journal of Business Ethics 20, no. 3 (1999): 217-225. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1006047421834.
Koehn, Daryl. “Some Modest Proposals for Improving Business Ethics from Primarily an Aristotelian Perspective.” Journal of Human Values 30, no. 1 (2024): 38-51. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/09716858231201183.
Koh, Hian, and El'fred Boo. “Organizational Ethics and Employee Satisfaction and Commitment.” Management Decision, 42, no. 5 (2004): 677-693. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740410538514.
Konstan, David. “Cosmopolitan Traditions.” In A Companion to Greek and Roman Political Thought, edited by Ryan K. Balot, 473-484. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444310344.ch30.
Kuenzi, Maribeth, David Mayer, and Rebecca Greenbaum. “Creating an Ethical Organizational Environment: The Relationship between Ethical Leadership, Ethical Organizational Climate, and Unethical Behavior.” Personnel Psychology 73, no. 1 (2020): 43-71. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/peps.12356.
Long, Anthony A. Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/0199245568.001.0001.
Long, Anthony A. Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1986.
Long, Anthony A., and Despina Vertzagia. “Antiquity Revisited: A Discussion with Anthony Arthur Long.” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 5, no. 1 (2020): 111-122. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.23324.
Mantzanas, Michail. “The Concept of Moral Conscience in Ancient Greek Philosophy.” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 5, no. 2 (2020): 65-86. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.23148.
Maurya, Sooraj Kumar. “A Reply to Louis P. Pojman’s Article ‘The Case Against Affirmative Action.’” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 5, no. 2 (2020): 87-113. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.23660.
Neubert, Mitchell, Dawn Carlson, Michele K. Kacmar, James Roberts, and Lawrence Chonko. “The Virtuous Influence of Ethical Leadership Behavior: Evidence from the Field.” Journal of Business Ethics 90, no. 2 (2009): 157-170. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0037-9.
Nicgorski, Walter. “Cicero on Expertise in Governance.” In Scientific Statesmanship, Governance, and the History of Political Philosophy, edited by Kyriakos N. Demetriou and Antis Loizides, 41-55. New York: Routledge, 2015.
Nwachukwu, Saviour, and Scott Vitell. “The Influence of Corporate Culture on Managerial Ethical Judgments.” Journal of Business Ethics 16, no. 8 (1997): 757-776. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1017905602017.
Peele, Gillian. “Leadership and Politics: A Case for a Closer Relationship?” Leadership 1, no. 2 (2005): 187-204. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715005051858.
Plutarchus. De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. University of California.
Riivari, Elina, and Anna-Maija Lämsä. “Organizational Ethical Virtues of Innovativeness.” Journal of Business Ethics 155, no. 1 (2019): 223-240. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3486-6.
Roth, Philip. “How Social Context Impacts the Emergence of Leadership Structures.” Leadership 18, no. 4 (2022): 539-562. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150221090375.
Ruiz-Palomino, Pablo, and Ricardo Martínez-Cañas. “Ethical Culture, Ethical Intent, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: The Moderating and Mediating Role of Person-Organization Fit.” Journal of Business Ethics 120, no. 1 (2014): 95-108. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1650-1.
Scherer, Andreas, and Christian Voegtlin. “Corporate Governance for Responsible Innovation: Approaches to Corporate Governance and Their Implications for Sustainable Development.” Academy of Management Perspectives 34, no. 2 (2020): 182-208. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amp.2017.0175.
Schofield, Malcom. “Stoic Ethics.” In The Cambridge Companion tο the Stoics, edited by Brad Inwood, 233-256. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CCOL052177005X.010.
Schofield, Malcom. The Stoic Idea of the City. Chicago, IL, and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1999.
Sharples, Robert W. Stoics, Epicureans and Sceptics: An Introduction to Hellenistic Philosophy. New York: Routledge, 1996. doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203410752.
Sherman, Nancy. “Stoic Consolations.” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 8, no. 2 (2023): 565-587. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.35405.
Singhapakdi, Anusorn. “Ethical Perceptions of Marketers: The Interaction Effects of Machiavellianism and Organizational Ethical Culture.” Journal of Business Ethics 12, no. 5 (1993): 407-418. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00882031.
Solomon, Robert. “Aristotle, Ethics, and Business Organizations.” Organization Studies 25, no. 6 (2004): 1021-1043. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0170840604042409.
Solomon, Robert. “Business with Virtue: Maybe Next Year?” Business Ethics Quarterly 10, no. 1 (2000): 339-341. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3857718.
Strauss, Leo. An Introduction to Political Philosophy: Ten Essays. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1989.
Thoms, John. “Ethical Integrity in Leadership and Organizational Moral Culture.” Leadership 4, no. 4 (2008): 419–442. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1742715008095189.
Treviño, Linda, Kenneth Butterfield, and Donald McCabe. “The Ethical Context in Organizations: Influences on Employee Attitudes and Behaviours.” Business Ethics Quarterly 8, no. 3 (1998): 447-476. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3857431.
Triantari, Sotiria, and Elias Vavouras. “Decision-Making in the Modern Manager-Leader: Organizational Ethics, Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility.” Cogito 16, no. 1 (2024): 7-28.
Valentine, Sean, Seong-Hyun Nam, David Hollingworth, and Callie Hall. “Ethical Context and Ethical Decision Making: Examination of an Alternative Statistical Approach for Identifying Variable Relationships.” Journal of Business Ethics 124, no. 3 (2014): 509-526. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1879-8.
Vavouras, Elias, and Michail Theodosiadis. “The Concept of Religion in Machiavelli: Political Methodology, Propaganda and Ideological Enlightenment.” Religions 15, no. 10 (2024): 1203. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101203.
Vavouras, Elias. “Hobbes’ Hedonism in Front of Classical Hedonism and the Free Market’s Way Out.” Dia-noesis: A Journal of Philosophy 13 (2022): 85-114. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/dia.37784.
Vavouras, Elias. “Machiavelli’s Ethics of Expansion and Empire.” Conatus – Journal of Philosophy 8, no. 2 (2023): 703-723. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/cjp.35110.
Vavouras, Elias. “Natural Right and Historicism: From Thucydides to Marx.” Cogito 13, no. 1 (2021): 7-20.
Vavouras, Elias. “The Machiavellian Reality of Leo Strauss.” Dia-noesis: A Journal of Philosophy 12 (2022): 265-273. doi: https://doi.org/10.12681/dia.37834.
Vavouras, Elias. “The Political Philosophy as a Precondition and Completion of Political Economy in the Ways and Means of Xenophon.” Dia-noesis: A Journal of Philosophy 9 (2020): 183-200.
Verdi, Yoav, and Yoash Weiner. “Misbehavior in Organizations: A Motivational Framework.” Organization Science 7, no. 2 (1996): 151-165. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.7.2.151.
Walzer, Arthur. “Quntilian's ‘Vir Bonus’ and the Stoic Wise Man.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly 33, no. 4 (2003): 25-41. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02773940309391266.
Wang, Gordon, and Rick Hackett. “Virtues-Centered Moral Identity: An Identity-Based Explanation of the Functioning of Virtuous Leadership.” Leadership Quarterly 31, no. 5 (2020): 1-12. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2020.101421.
Wildberger, Jula. The Stoics and the State: Theory – Practice – Context. Baden: Nomos, 2018.
Most read articles by the same author(s)