Business and Management INK

To Make Better Decisions, Use Your ‘Moral Imagination’

August 16, 2012 1220

“Greed is good” no longer: research shows that successful companies achieve a balance between profit and social impact, thanks to the work of decision-makers who are able to realize mutually beneficial outcomes. Their success, according to “Examining the Impact of Moral Imagination on Organizational Decision Making,” published by Lindsey N. Godwin of Champlain College on July 11, 2012 in Business & Society, may stem from the ability to master the art form known as “moral imagination”:

…What are the attributes of decision makers that enable them to realize mutually beneficial outcomes? This dissertation argues that one critical key to solving this question is a better understanding of moral imagination in organizational decision making. To test this hypothesis, a new vignette-based cognitive measure for moral imagination in organizational decision making was created to explore empirically the relationship between moral imagination and mutually beneficial decision making. Overall, findings from 180 respondents supported the hypothesis that individuals, who exercise moral imagination, including the ability for discerning moral issues and developing a range of possible outcomes during the decision-making process, are indeed more likely to generate a mutually beneficial outcome for a situation compared to those who do not exercise moral imagination. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Learn more by reading the full article here in Business & Society, and get more information about the journal here. Do you want to receive the latest management research in your inbox? Click here to sign up for e-alerts!

Business and Management INK puts the spotlight on research published in our more than 100 management and business journals. We feature an inside view of the research that’s being published in top-tier SAGE journals by the authors themselves.

View all posts by Business & Management INK

Related Articles

From Isolation to Impact: Tackling the Emotional Toll of Ethnographic Research in Business and Society
Business and Management INK
April 22, 2025

From Isolation to Impact: Tackling the Emotional Toll of Ethnographic Research in Business and Society

Read Now
“Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost.” –Nintendo “Quit Screen” Message
Business and Management INK
April 8, 2025

“Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost.” –Nintendo “Quit Screen” Message

Read Now
Author Reflections on Intraorganizational Developmental Networks
Business and Management INK
April 2, 2025

Author Reflections on Intraorganizational Developmental Networks

Read Now
Changing the World or Changing Ourselves?
Business and Management INK
March 12, 2025

Changing the World or Changing Ourselves?

Read Now
Generative AI Literacy: A Proposed Way Forward

Generative AI Literacy: A Proposed Way Forward

In this article, co-authors Stefanie Beninger, Alex Reppel, Julie Stanton and Forrest Watson reflect on the inspiration behind their research article, “Facilitating Generative AI […]

Read Now
Exploring the Psychosocial Correlation of Skin Lightening Products

Exploring the Psychosocial Correlation of Skin Lightening Products

In this article, co-authors Hanan Afzal, Sameer Deshpande, and Joan Carlini reflect on the history and inspiration behind their new research article, “Glowing Beyond Shades: […]

Read Now
Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on the European Union Emission Trading Scheme

Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on the European Union Emission Trading Scheme

In this article, co-authors Abhinava Tripathi, Charu Vadhava, and Ravi Raushan Jha reflect on the inspiration behind their research article, “Pricing efficiency of European carbon […]

Read Now
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments