Organizational Ontology and The Moral Status of the Corporation

Mark A. Seabright · Lance B. Kurke

36 citations0/0 files storedBusiness Ethics Quarterly

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Abstract

Abstract: This paper explores an ontological approach to the issue of whether corporations, like individuals, are morally responsible for their actions. More specifically, we investigate the identity of organizations relative to the individuals that compose them. Based on general systems theory, the traditional assumption is that social collectives are more complex, variable, and loosely coupled than individuals. This assumption rests on two premises. The first is a view of the individual as simple, stable, and tightly coupled (i.e., unitary). The second premise is that the relationship between social collectives and their members is characterized by the complete inclusion of individuals in higher order systems. We examine the social science literature that bears on these premises and conclude that they are false. The differences between organizations and individuals in the magnitude of complexity or variability appear to be minimal or nonexistent. An implication of our analysis is that individuals and organizations are coterminous and, therefore, inseparable as moral agents.

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References

1891The Principles of Psychology 1967The Social Construction of Reality 1979The Social Psychology of Organizations.1969The social psychology of organizing 1979Central Problems in Social Theory 2002Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology 1986Possible selves.1983Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis.

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