Business ethics, Confucianism and the different faces of ritual
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2020
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Provis, C.
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Journal article
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Journal of Business Ethics, 2020; 165(2):191-204
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Confucianism has attracted some attention in business ethics, in particular as a form of virtue ethics. This paper develops ideas about Confucianism in business ethics by extending discussion about Confucian ideas of ritual. Ritual has figured in literature about organisational culture, but Confucian accounts can offer additional ideas about developing ethically desirable organisational cultures. Confucian ritual practice has diverged from doctrine and from the classical emphasis on requirements for concern and respect as parts of ritual. However, there are some differences of emphasis amongst classical texts, and some accounts more than others allow for the importance of ritual as opportunity for interpersonal encounter. These are texts that bring out the flexibility and context-sensitivity of ritual, with associated implications about the need for moral judgment and attention to other individuals. Mature individuals progress beyond ritual as unthinking repetition, to ritual as meaningful expression. In apprehending one another’s meaning, participants acquire understanding of one another’s intentions and expectations. The mutual awareness this can engender is an important part of human existence, and is the sort of common knowledge that has been identified as important in dealing with coordination problems. However, coordination may also be achieved through routine and imitation, and then participants can lack such mutual awareness. In organisations, ritual should satisfy general requirements of concern and respect, but should also maintain opportunities for mutual encounter. The difference between arrangements which do or do not offer such opportunities may suggest lines of development for virtue ethics in business.Key
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Copyright 2019 Springer Nature
Access Condition Notes: Accepted manuscript available after 1 January 2021