Abstract
The goal of this paper is to connect managerial behavior on the “agent-steward” scale to managerial moral development and motivation. I introduce agent- and steward-like behavior: the former is self-serving while the latter is others-serving. I suggest that managerial moral development and motivation may be two of the factors that may predict the tendency of managers to behave in a self-serving way (like agents) or to serve the interests of the organization (like stewards). Managers at low levels of moral development are more likely to behave like agents, while managers at higher levels of moral development are more likely to behave like stewards. I also argue that managers at the highest level of moral development may serve the interests of people other than the firm’s owners and thereby transfer wealth from the firm’s owners to third parties. Moral motivation is likely to be a factor that moderates the proposed relationships. Finally, I develop propositions that address the role of material incentives in controlling behavior of managers at different levels of moral development.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Vincent Barker for suggesting the use of stewardship theory and for invaluable help and guidance in developing this paper. I would also like to thank the action editor, the two anonymous reviewers, the seminar participants at the AoM conference in Anaheim, CA in 2008 and at the University of Kansas for their great comments. All errors and omissions are my own.
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Martynov, A. Agents or Stewards? Linking Managerial Behavior and Moral Development. J Bus Ethics 90, 239–249 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0039-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0039-7