Philosophy: The Managers - Philosophie Management

the heart of political philosophy. Similarly, business ethics and philosophical ethics are linked as
applied and foundational theory.
Of course, things are never quite so simple. Most trainings and actions related to business
ethics and CSR have little to do with philosophy - they often serve as PR-fig leaf or compliance
tools and are little concerned with “how to live well”. There is currently a very well-founded fear
that ethics could be ‘instrumental-ised’ as the latest marketing fad.
I would argue here that this uncoupling of business ethics and CSR, from serious philosophical
ethics and thinking, acutely undermines their long term relevance to management in two crucial
ways:
- First, if business ethics is not grounded in a deeper philosophical reflection regarding our
relation to the world, it may lead to well-meaning but ineffective actions. This can be
illustrated a contrario by showing how thinking about business ethics and CSR with two
solid philosophical concepts (the “business arena” by Geoffrey Klempner and “coregulation”
by Benoît Frydman) can effectively help managers to make more lucid
decisions.
- Second, philosophical reflection can help managers understand that, contrary to what some
organisations’ ethical charters or codes of conducts might lead them to believe, there are
often no clear-cut answers to the many ethical problems they face. To be conscious of this
is crucial to the taking of lucid decisions.
The need for a philosophical representation of the world to orient our decisions and
actions
Klempner (2004) argues that business takes place within a frame where it is insulated from
ethics proper, as contrasted with the rules of fair play which define the business game. Ethics,
as he understands it, is based on the ‘I and thou’ relationship, on unlimited obligation,
unconditional love and respect for the other people. This tension cannot be resolved by
attempting to cobble together ‘business ethics' in the accepted sense of the term. There can be
no compromise between unconditional obligation and the limited obligations that hold between
players in the business arena 13 . Ethics, in a sense, break down in the business arena. The
ethical obligations of players in the business arena are not non-existent but they are limited, in
order to allow for competition and the possibility of winning and losing. 14 The metaphor
Klempner uses is that of a boxing ring: “If you see that your opponent is on the ropes, you don't
bend forward and stretch out your hand, you to move in for the kill.”
Understanding and accepting the business arena concept might have two fundamental and
practical consequences:
- First, it might help well-meaning promoters of ethics in enterprises recognize, that attempts
to adapt ethics to business are futile. The only result that can probably be achieved by
ignoring this, and adopting a muddle-headed compromise strategy, is an ethic which is too
demanding for the business arena, and insufficiently demanding outside that arena.
Conversely, many of those who have clearly seen that compromise is impossible, have
13
That emphatically does not mean that business escapes ethics. All of us (including those who are actively involved in playing the
game) permit the game to proceed and therefore take on the ethical responsibility.
14
French philosopher A. Comte Sponville (2009) says something similar: ”The objective of an enterprise is to create wealth. Ethics
is the responsibility of individuals, including those who are managers of enterprises.” Interview in Le Soir, 2-3/5/2009 about his
book ”Is capitalism moral?”
ledoux.laurent@gmail.com
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