Personal Virtues and Firm Goals: An Aristotelian–Thomistic Approach

Abstract

The major theme in virtue ethics, business, and management is “virtues in relation between individuals and firms as moral agents” (Ferrero I, Sison AJG, A survey on virtue in business and management (1980–2011). Universidad de Navarra, 2012). The main unit of analysis is neither the person nor the organization but the person in the organization. However, the conflicting framing self-interest versus others’ interests implicit in the dominant self-interest approach in both economic and management prevent theoretical development on harmonious relationships between personal motives and firm goals. The argument of this chapter is that, for an intrinsic alignment between personal motives and firm goals, it is necessary to find a view that considers both self-interest and other interests as ends, superseding the trade-off logic implicit in the self-interest view. For this purpose, furthering a previous work (Rocha HO, Ghoshal S, J Manag Stud 43:585–619, 2006), this chapter proposes an Aristotelian–Thomistic approach, which considers excellence as the main human motive and practical rationality as the main logic to allow an intrinsic alignment between personal motives and firm goals.