Moral Foundations of Management Knowledge

Edited by Marie-Laure Djelic, Director, Graduate Institute Geneva, Switzerland and Radu Vranceanu, Professor, Department of Economics, ESSEC Business School, Cergy, France

This book sheds light on ‘hidden’ aspects of management theory by questioning its moral foundations: ethical and moral principles tend to become over time, deeply embedded, if not buried, in the intellectual and disciplinary subfields of management, particularly when the latter vie for scientific status. In the process, they often become invisible or indecipherable both to those who advance and diffuse knowledge as well as to those who receive, interpret and apply it.

‘Djelic and Vranceanu have put together a valuable collection of studies on the normative justifications underlying modern managerialism, as well as on its roots in economic and organizational theories. Students of the rise of business schools, and business education in particular, will find the book’s analyses of current normative frames most useful. But so will those interested in the prospects for future changes in management doctrines.’
– John W. Meyer, Stanford University, US

‘This book offers an eloquent critical analysis of the moral foundations of management and economics. The essays in it are well-grounded in a variety of disciplines and philosophic traditions. Together the contributors offer provocative insights into how and why morality nourishes and sustains businesses and the people who work in them.’
– Joanne B. Ciulla, University of Richmond, US

‘Exploring the ethical foundations of the different subfields of managerial thought, this book brings a thoroughly new light on the issue of sustainability and responsibility in management theory and practice. Departing from the traditional scientific neutrality viewpoint, its contributors start from the bold premise that management is not ethically or morally neutral. They investigate the validity of various perspectives on business ethics and their implications for economics, theories of leadership and team management as well as the study of complex management systems. Between them, these contributions bring the reflection on management and ethics to a new frontier. This pathbreaking book is compelling reading for all those who want to go beyond a technocratic vision of management.’
– Michel De Vroey, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium