A Kantian Perspective on Humanizing Business

Abstract

This chapter begins with a history of examples of dehumanizing business practices and some reasons as to why they exist. However, business could be humane if it followed Kantian moral philosophy. Kantian moral philosophy has the value of human freedom at its center. It is human freedom with its power to follow principles of our own choosing that enables each and every human to demand respect. As Kant puts it, “One must always treat the humanity of a person as an end and never as a means merely.” Kantian moral philosophy, when conjoined with our empirical knowledge from organizational theory, strategy, and human resource management, provides a series of business practices and attitudes that would make business more humane. Two examples: First, open book management, which empowers employees with all the information they need to make sensible business decisions on the line and second a leadership style that drives decisions down the organization chart and turns followers in business into leaders. The chapter concludes with a look into the future. What if business was mostly conducted by robots rather than people? Perhaps our lives could become more humane through study of the liberal arts and an appreciation of beauty that is found in art.