Skip to main content
Log in

Wisdom Paradigms for the Enhancement of Ethical and Profitable Business Practices

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

Many organizations continually search for new business models and ways to conduct business ethically, yet profitably. Kirk Cheyfitz (2003) proclaims that organizations should not waste time trying to create “new business models” because the rules of commerce never change. Instead of searching for new business models, organizations can improve business practices by looking at different paradigms or mental models for seeing how to build practices that lead to long-term success. The employment elements of “wisdom” as paradigms for developing sound structures and practices that will encourage management behaviors that are ethical and lead to profitability. First, a theory of wisdom is developed. Then, the elements of wisdom are applied to the design of a general business structure and to refocusing some basic business practices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • R. Aggarwal B. Simkins (2001) ArticleTitle‘Open Book Management – Optimizing Human Capital’ Business Horizons. 44 IssueID5 5–14

    Google Scholar 

  • P.B. Baltes U.M. Staudinger (2000) ArticleTitle‘Wisdom: A Metaheuristic (pragmatic) to Orchestrate Mind and Virtue Toward Excellence’ American Psychologist. 55 122–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, S.: 1999, Confucius and Socrates: The Teaching of Wisdom, http://www.sanbeck.org

  • J. Beyer D. Nino (1998) ‘Facing the Future: Backing Courage with Wisdom’ Srivastava Cooperrider (Eds) Organizational Wisdom and Executive Courage Jossey-Bass San Fransisco, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Bierly E. Kessler E. Christensen (2000) ArticleTitle‘Organizational Learning Knowledge and Wisdom’ Journal of Organizational Change. 13 IssueID6 595–618

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Blanchard S. Johnson (1982) The One Minute manager Berkley Books New York

    Google Scholar 

  • B. Blanshard (1967) Wisdom P. Edwards (Eds) The Encyclopedia of Philosophy Free Press, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Bossidy R. Charan (2002) Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done Crown Business New York

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Collins (2001) Good to Great HarperCollins Publishers Inc. New York

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Covey (1989) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change Simon & Schuster New York

    Google Scholar 

  • T. H. Davenport L. Prusak (1997) Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know Harvard Business School Press Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • T. R. V. Davis (1997) ArticleTitle‘Open-Book Management: Its promise and pitfalls’ Organizational Dynamics 25 Winter 7–20

    Google Scholar 

  • P.F. Drucker (1967) The Effective Executive (2002 edition) HarperCollins Publishers Inc. New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Florian, E.: 2002, Fortune, March 3

  • D. Goleman (1995) Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ Bantam Books New York

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Goleman R. Boyatzis A. McKee (2002) Primal␣Leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence Harvard Business School Publishing Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Guthrie W. K. C. (1956). Plato’s ‘The Protagoras, 343B’, in The Protagoras and Meno Translated (Penguin Classics, New York and London) p. 77 (‘Know thyself’ is a quote that Plato attributed to the Scribes of Delphi)

  • D.R. Hawkins (2002) Power vs Force: The hidden determinants of human behavior. Hay House Carlsbad

    Google Scholar 

  • S.G. Holliday M.J. Chandler (1986) Wisdom: Explorations in Adult Competence Karger Basel

    Google Scholar 

  • J.R. Katzenbach D.K. Smith (1993) The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the high performance organization Harvard Business Press Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • J.A. Krames (2003) What the Best CEOs Know: 7 Exceptional Leaders and Their Lessons for Transforming any Business McGraw-Hill New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Leaf, C.: 2002, ‘Enough is Enough’, Fortune, March 3

  • Livingston, J. S.: 1969, ‘Pygmalion in Management’, Harvard Business Review, July/August

  • F. Luthans B. Avolio (2003) ‘Authentic Leadership: A Positive Development Approach’ K. Cameron J. Dutton R. Quinn (Eds) Positive Organizational Scholarship Berrett-Kohler San Francisco, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • D. May A. Chan T. Hodges B. Avolio (2003) ArticleTitle‘Developing the Moral Component of Authentic Leadership’ Organization Dynamics 32 IssueID3 247–260

    Google Scholar 

  • N. Maxwell (1984) From Knowledge to Wisdom Blackwell Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • S.K. McEvily S. Das K. McCabe (2000) ArticleTitle‘Avoiding Competence Substitution Through Knowledge Sharing’ Academy of Management Review 25 IssueID2 294–311

    Google Scholar 

  • I. Nonaka (1994) ArticleTitle‘A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation’ Organization Science 5 IssueID1 14–37 Occurrence Handle10.1287/orsc.5.1.14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Porter (1980) Competitive Strategy Free Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Pfeffer (1998) The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First Harvard Business School Press Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Rothberg (1993) ArticleTitle‘The Crisis of Modernity and the Emergence of Socially Engaged Spirituality’ Revision. A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation 15 IssueID3 105–114

    Google Scholar 

  • J.B. Rotter (1966) ArticleTitle‘Generalized Expectations for Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement’ Psychological Monographs 80 1–28

    Google Scholar 

  • P.M. Senge (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization Currency Doubleday New York

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Smith P.B. Baltes (1990) ArticleTitle‘Wisdom related knowledge: age/cohort differences in response to life-planning problems’ Developmental Psychology 26 494–505

    Google Scholar 

  • Srivastva Cooperrider. (1998) Organizational Wisdom and Executive Courage Jossey-Bass San Fransisco

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Stack (1993) Case 9-993-009 Business Enterprise Trust Stanford 2–4

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Stack (1994) The Great Game of Business Currency Doubleday New York

    Google Scholar 

  • R.J. Sternberg (1985) ArticleTitle‘Implicit Theories of Intelligence, Creativity, and Wisdom’ .Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 49 IssueID3 607–627

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Sternberg R. (1990) Wisdom: Its Nature, Origins, and Development Cambridge University Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • JR. Sternberg (1998) ArticleTitle‘A Balance Theory of Wisdom’ Review of General Psychology 2 IssueID4 347–365

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Sternberg (2003) ArticleTitle‘WICS: A Model of Leadership in Organizations’ Academy of Management Learning and Education. 2 IssueID4 386–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Useem, J.: 2003, Fortune, April 14 2003

  • Vaill Srivastava (1998) ‘The Unspeakable Texture of Process Wisdom’ Cooperrider (Eds) Organizational Wisdom and Executive Courage Jossey-Bass San Fransisco, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • K.E. Weick (1995) Sensemaking in Organizations Sage Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • KE. Weick (1998) ‘The attitude of wisdom: Ambivalence as the Optimal Compromise’,’ Srivastava Cooperrider (Eds) Organizational Wisdom and Executive Courage Jossey-Bass San Fransisco, CA

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jones, C.A. Wisdom Paradigms for the Enhancement of Ethical and Profitable Business Practices. J Bus Ethics 57, 363–375 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-004-4602-y

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-004-4602-y

Keywords

Navigation