Metodo

International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Series | Book | Chapter

210168

Social constructivism, mental models, and the problems of obedience

Patricia Werhane

pp. 145-166

Abstract

In this article, written with Hartman, Moberg, Parmar, Englehardt and Pritchard (2011), the authors argue that one of the problems of obedience to authority as depicted in the Milgram experiments, and later reiterated in many managerial scenarios such as the 2016 Volkswagen scandal, is the lack of moral imagination as well as lack of moral courage. Thus, corporate wrongdoing, such as falsifying software in diesel autos as VW did with its "defeat" technology, results in a harmful, deceitful and expensive outcome both for shareholders and stakeholders, particularly individual customers. Questioning or challenging a corporate culture – or even a single managerial directive – that seems wrong requires a well-developed moral imagination as well as well-honed arguments as the basis of any such questions or challenges.Original publication: Werhane, P.H., Hartman, L.P., Moberg, D., Englehardt, E., Pritchard, M. & Parmar, B. "Social Constructivism, Mental Models, and the Problem of Obedience." Journal of Business Ethics (2011) 100: 103–118. ©2011 Reprinted with permission.

Publication details

Published in:

Bevan David, Wolfe Regina W (2019) Systems thinking and moral imagination: rethinking business ethics with Patricia Werhane. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 145-166

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-89797-4_9

Full citation:

Werhane Patricia (2019) „Social constructivism, mental models, and the problems of obedience“, In: D. Bevan & R.W. Wolfe (eds.), Systems thinking and moral imagination, Dordrecht, Springer, 145–166.