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Philosophy as a Base for Management: An Aristotelian Integrative Proposal

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Abstract

Current theories of management have difficulty overcoming certain problems and limitations related to some features of the field itself multiplicity, midtidisciplinarityt fragmentation, presence or lack of paradigms, se/freferentiality, and ethnocentrism. This paper first reviews these issues broadly. Then, it emphasises the preponderance of the scientific method and the exclusion of philosophy as theoretical foundations for management. It proposes taking philosophy as the science to provide the foundations of management. It explains how philosophy — especially philosophy that has its roots in Aristotelian thought - can be of help to management through four different functions: admirative, globalising, political, and critical. In this way, Aristotelian philosophy is shown to be a superior basis for solving the present problems in management theory and a fruitful option for integrating ethics in organisational and management theories.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business Ethics Department, IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Av. Pearson, 21, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Juan Fontrodona (Assistant Professor of Business Ethics) & Domènec Melé

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  1. Juan Fontrodona
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  2. Domènec Melé
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Correspondence to Juan Fontrodona.

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Fontrodona, J., Melé, D. Philosophy as a Base for Management: An Aristotelian Integrative Proposal. Philos. of Manag. 2, 3–9 (2002). https://doi.org/10.5840/pom2002222

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