Philosophy of Management International Conference 2017

Philosophy of Management 2017 is the twelfth in an annual series of conferences open to all. It will be of special interest to philosophers, management researchers, management teachers and students, practicing managers, and consultants.

The conference, sponsored by the journal Philosophy of Management, is normally held at St. Anne’s College, Oxford. This will be only the second one held in the US, the first having been at DePaul University in Chicago in 2014, under the leadership of Pat Werhane and Ed Freeman. We will continue to follow the successful model of unhurried presentation and discussion of papers, high-quality interaction and feedback, and ample opportunities for networking and informal conversations.

Meals and refreshments at or near the conference site are included in the registration fee. Participation will be limited to 75 attendees.

Tracks for papers are as follows:

• Facts vs. narratives in leadership. Narrative is a powerful tool for leaders, both in politics and in other organizational settings. But it is by definition a “spun” version of the facts. It poses both epistemological and ethical issues. When does a narrative become a set of “alternative facts”? When is it praiseworthy and when is it evil? What are the limits of its use as a leadership tool?
• Leadership and legitimacy: power, influence, and authority. The rise of populism focuses our attention upon the desire of many—and the repulsion of others--for authority figures. Does populist hunger legitimatize authoritarian behaviour? Does legitimacy stem simply from winning the democratic process (even if flawed)? If not, what else? And how do we avoid the slippery slope of second-guessing the democratic process?
• Public sphere management: responsibilities, roles, rights. How do we define the stakeholders to whom public sphere managers are responsible? Do their roles suffer from the same compartmentalization that Macintyre laments in corporate management? How do the rights to speak out, blow the whistle, and enjoy protections differ in the public sphere?
• Corporations and government: defining right relationships. How should corporate leadership manage the entire spectrum of their global relationships with governments and how should they respond to inducements and pressures? What new thinking is sparked by the current US experience? How should public managers respond to corporate constituents? What about conflicts of interest, when public managers come from the private sphere?
• Corporate social responsibility: a concept whose time has gone? Ongoing scandals in companies with extensive CSR programs provoke claims that CSR is a dangerous racket. How do recent cases illuminate this issue? Are there any alternatives to CSR?
• Stoic management. Stoicism is trending as a topic for airport books aimed at leaders and managers. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this ancient school of thought when applied to leaders and managers today? What about other ancient schools of thought often similarly invoked, such as those of Chanakya, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi, Plato, and Aristotle?
• Managing for sustainability. What are the conceptual and normative concerns having to do with the link between our planet’s sustainability and our management practices? How do these concerns differ between the private and public sphere?
• Patricia Werhane’s work. Werhane, our featured guest, has done seminal work on global issues in management, women in leadership, employee rights, healthcare ethics, and the ethical roots of capitalism. Papers may either address her work or the topics she has addressed.

In addition to these tracks, papers may also address any area in which philosophy and management intersect, from any cultural or philosophical tradition.

Please go to the website for further information on the conference: