Abstract
In a previous essay (Sison and Fontrodona 2012), we defined the common good of the firm as collaborative work, insofar as it provides, first, an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills, virtues, and meaning (work as praxis), and second, inasmuch as it produces goods and services to satisfy society’s needs and wants (work as poiesis). We would now like to focus on the participatory aspect of this common good. To do so, we will have to identify the different members of the firm as a community, drawing from corporate citizenship literature and stakeholder theory. Afterward, we will explore both the manner and the intensity of these different members’ participation and its impact on the firm’s common good.
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Notes
In Aristotle, apart from poiesis, praxis is also paired and contrasted with other concepts, such as kinesis (imperfect movement) and theoria (contemplation). It is beyond the scope of this article to deal with the full range of meanings attached to praxis here. What is important is to underscore that, in praxis, the focus is on subjective, internal outcomes, while in poiesis, it is on objective, external outcomes. The goal in praxis is the realization of the activity itself, whereas in poiesis, it is the production of something external. Moreover, in the foregoing senses, mastery or excellence in praxis is generally known as phronesis (practical wisdom), and in poiesis, techne (technical expertise).
Again, we cannot delve extensively into the complex sociological implications of the differentiation between poiesis and praxis. However, Aristotle here expresses a widespread view in ancient civilizations that in a way continues in the yet unresolved tensions between management and labor in modern industrial societies.
There are exceptions, however, as can clearly be seen in the case of rhetoric. Undeniably, Athenian gentlemen engaged in rhetoric, a poiesis governed by a techne (Aristotle 1991, Rhetoric 1355b9-25). We may assume that they carried this out ultimately in the interest of self-governance (a praxis) under the guidance of phronesis. In other words, some poiesis such as rhetoric may be pursued for an ulterior end internal to the agent or actor that somehow makes it akin to a praxis. Indeed it is unfortunate that Aristotle did not pursue this intuition further, as this may have led him to a much closer position to that espoused by CST. We thank one reviewer for this valuable insight.
However, toward the end of the NE (1177a11-1179a33), Aristotle seems to suffer from a platonic lapse when he describes the contemplation of the supreme good—basically an idea or form—as the best life for man.
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Sison, A.J.G., Fontrodona, J. Participating in the Common Good of the Firm. J Bus Ethics 113, 611–625 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1684-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1684-4