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Ethics and management style

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Abstract

If a manager is evangelical, does it color the style he uses in his relationship with his subordinates? The paper sketches briefly the two familiar, historical ethical positions... the Protestant ethic and humanism and relates them to two styles of management. Then it points up the recent healthy growth of the evangelical movement, and the basic beliefs of evangelicals; then relates elements of these beliefs to the manager. A comparison of the three management ethics (Protestant, humanist, and evangelical) suggests some differences in the characteristics of managers who follow each ethic. There is increased evidence of the effect of the evangelical ethic in political, medical, and judicial life. Is it not logical to assume it is also affecting business and management?

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Authors

Additional information

Martha A. Brown is Associate Professor of Management at McNeese State University (Management & Marketing Dept., College of Business), Louisiana 70609, U.S.A. Previously she held Professorships at Stephen F. Austin State University, Sul Ross State University, and Angelo State University (all in Texas). Her most important publications are ‘The Relationship of Values and Job Satisfaction: Do Birds of a Feather Work Well Together?, Personnel (November-December, 1980), and ‘Values — A Necessary, But Neglected Ingredient of Job Satisfaction’, The Academy of Management Review (October, 1976).

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Brown, M.A. Ethics and management style. J Bus Ethics 3, 207–214 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382921

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382921

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