This book explores the evolution and origins of contemporary moral culture, with a particular focus on the challenges it poses for managers and business leaders. It is argued that in today’s bimoral society, people govern their lives by two contrasting sets of principles: those associated with traditional morality and its duties and obligations, which remain powerful even though the authorities supporting them have been considerably weakened; and those associated with the pursuit of self-interest, which have escaped their traditional constraints and acquired a degree of social legitimacy unpar ... More

This book explores the evolution and origins of contemporary moral culture, with a particular focus on the challenges it poses for managers and business leaders. It is argued that in today’s bimoral society, people govern their lives by two contrasting sets of principles: those associated with traditional morality and its duties and obligations, which remain powerful even though the authorities supporting them have been considerably weakened; and those associated with the pursuit of self-interest, which have escaped their traditional constraints and acquired a degree of social legitimacy unparalleled in history. The tensions arising from this situation are apparent in all areas of social life, but are especially so in business. The same developments that have led to the bimoral society have also led to new, more flexible forms of organizing that have released people’s entrepreneurial energies and significantly enhanced the creative capacities of business organizations. Working within such organizational cultures, however, is fraught with moral tensions as obligations and self-interest conflict and managers are pulled in all sorts of different directions. As the technical problem-solving that previously characterized managerial work is increasingly accomplished by technology and market mechanisms, the key tasks of management become those of political and moral leadership: determining purposes and priorities, reconciling divergent interests, and nurturing trust in interpersonal relationships. The book also explores the challenge for societies developing forms of corporate governance appropriate to the new environment.