Abstracts

April 13-14, 2016, Gregory R. Beabout

Series Title: Philosophical Wisdom for Business Savvy: The Character of the Manager

A philosopher argues that that the central concerns of contemporary and ancient philosophers offer insights to transform our understanding of business activities and roles.

Lecture 1: ‘Business Humanities’? What Future Leaders Can Learn about Character-Transforming Arguments from MacIntyre, Kierkegaard, and the Ancient Greeks

Is it time to develop a "Business Humanities" approach to management? Over the last quarter century, the field of "Medical Humanities" has developed as a response to shortcomings felt as medical culture become increasingly dominated by scientific and technical approaches that seemed to lose sight of the person. One aspect of developing a "business humanities" approach involves distinguishing between arguments as mere lines-of-reasoning and "character-transforming" arguments. To lay the groundwork for re-conceiving the character of the manager, three "character-transforming arguments" are investigated: Alasdair MacIntyre's treatment of what it means to be a "philosopher"; Soren Kierkegaard's treatment of what it means to live a beautiful life; and Aristotle's treatment of what it means to engage in the craft of persuasive public speaking. Drawing lessons from the character-transforming arguments of these thinkers points to a path for reasoning together to re-conceive what it means to be a manager.

Lecture 2: From Office Executive to Wise Steward: The Place of Practical Wisdom in the Manager’s Art

The popular business writer, Gary Hamel, recently stated, “If you are a leader at any level in any organization, you are a steward – of career, capabilities, resources, the environment, and organizational values. Unfortunately, not every manager is a wise steward.” In virtue ethics, the disposition to attend to relevant particularities, deliberate, and then act with good judgments is called "practical wisdom." For the ancients, it was viewed as the most important virtue for those in leadership positions. Several brief contemporary case studies are presented in order to propose, explain, and examine the central place of practical wisdom in the activities and art of the manager as wise steward.