The Moral Manager: Vignettes of Virtue from Virginia

Abstract

The idea of moral management and moral managers, whether public, private, or nonprofit, is not an oxymoron. The infusion of morality and ethical principles into the work performance and leadership capabilities of various organizational venues, especially in the public sector, is certainly not a new phenomenon. Recently, however, the literature has given great attention to the influence of spirituality upon organizational performance, human relationships, and decision-making. Some writers even suggest that religion or religious principles and values have a significant influence upon the formation, development, and performance of organizational behavior patterns, including organizational performance and managerial decision-making. This article (1) briefly surveys the virtue ethics literature, (2) examines the burgeoning role of religion and spirituality as it affects organizational performance and managerial decision-making, (3) describes the results of eight in-depth and intensively focused interviews with current or former city or county managers in order to examine the influence of the spirituality/religious dimension upon their functioning as moral managers, and (4) discusses the implications of this research, especially in the field and practice of public administration.

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