Morality 3: Organisational Culture and Workplace Training

The morality of stage 3 carries strong connotations to virtue ethics (MacKinnon (2013:63ff.). In contrast to stage 2 where HRM seeks selfishness and personal advantages, HRM’s behaviour at stage 3 is based on conforming to organisationally determined virtues. The moral philosophy of virtue ethics — which forms much of the conceptual basis of stage 3 — can be divided into two broad categories in historical sequence. The first category begins in ancient Greece where philosophers such as Plato and Socrates but primarily Aristotle (382–322 BC) developed moral codes for good personal character based on the belief that a good person acts morally and is therefore a moral person. The second category relates to modern virtue ethics associated with David Hume (1711–1776). Between Greek and modern virtue ethics tower the Dark Ages of feudalism with Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) as the prime writer on virtue ethics albeit from a religious-catholic standpoint. Once feudalist-catholic rule was overcome, modern virtue ethics developed free from irrationality and supersti-tion.332 Before outlining their writings, this chapter will start with the very beginning of virtue ethics in ancient Greece.