Leaders who do not require heroism
Keywords:
SUBSIDIARITY, INCENTIVES, CORPORATE DECISION STRUCTURE, CORPORATE MORAL AGENCY, LEADER AS SERVANTAbstract
The article analyzes the principle of subsidiarity in people management and in-company management based on the intended application in the pontifical document The Vocation of the Business Leader: a Reflection. First, it discusses the company and the business leader as key
social agents who should practice smart charity in order to contribute to the common good. It then focuses on organizational design, and its system of incentives and corporate policies and on the debate about whether or not to attribute moral responsibility to the company as an organized human group. The author argues that while the organization often acts as
a conditioning factor of its members’ freedom it is important to emphasize that this should not be determining, and that a true leader should act guided by the principle of subsidiarity.
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