Aristotle's virtues and management thought: An empirical exploration of anintegrative pedagogy

This paper develops and explores a pedagogical innovation for integrating v irtue theory into business students' basic understanding of general managem ent. Eighty-seven students, in 20 groups, classified three managers' real-t ime videotaped activities according to an elaboration of Aristotle's cardin al virtues, Fayol's management functions, and Mintzberg's managerial roles. The study's empirical evidence suggests that, akin to Fayol's functions an d Mintzberg's roles, Aristotle's virtues are also amenable to operationaliz ation, reliable observation, and meaningful description of managerial behav ior. The study provides an oft-called-for empirical basis for further work in virtue theory as an appropriate conceptual framework for the study and p ractice of management. The results indicate that virtue theory may be used to re-conceive our fundamental understanding of management, alongside its c apacity to weigh moral judgment upon it. Implications and suggestions for f uture research are discussed.