MacIntyre against the Manager

Abstract

MacIntyre both describes and criticizes a certain type of manager, that is, the modern office executive. Why? What are his precise objections? Seven criticisms are identified and explained. MacIntyre accuses this type of manager of being a manipulator, a sham expert, an amoral technician, a disengaged ghost, a person who is fragmented, a cultivator of acquisitiveness, and a destroyer of communities of virtue. Examining these criticisms gives rise to a series of questions. Can moral philosophy play a role in transforming our understanding of the character of the manager? If so, how? Answering these questions suggests a response that moves beyond “business ethics” or an applied-ethics approach that offers side constraints to an otherwise unbridled pursuit of profit.