Browsing by Autor "Javier Pinto‐Garay"

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    Guiding Unphilosophical Employees: Autonomy and Ethical Decision-Making at Work
    (Academy of Management, 2025) Javier Pinto‐Garay; Álvaro Espejo; Germán Scalzo
    This paper addresses the problem of unethical decision-making by employees in autonomous organizational contexts. By focusing on work design, it establishes a connection between neo-Aristotelianism and organizational theory. While this theory emphasizes the importance of autonomy in enhancing organizational efficiency and personal development, it also highlights that employees may engage in unethical decisions specifically due to their autonomy. In light of this, we argue that MacIntyre's virtue ethics provides a suitable philosophical framework for addressing this problem within a neo-Aristotelian context. Specifically, it offers WDT and practices a structured approach to help employees strengthen their moral judgment in routine decision-making without restricting their autonomy. This approach, however, helps to simplify the complexities of moral philosophy through the facilitation of ethically sound decision-making based on straightforward questionings as shown by MacIntyre with regard to the plain or unphilosophical person.
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    Guiding unphilosophical employees: organizational autonomy and work design theory in light of virtue ethics
    (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2026) Javier Pinto‐Garay; Álvaro Espejo; Germán Scalzo
    Purpose This paper aims to address how to foster ethical decision-making in autonomous organizational contexts without undermining employee autonomy. It aims to provide a neo-Aristotelian response to this issue by exploring how MacIntyre’s virtue ethics – particularly his idea of the “unphilosophical” or “plain person” – can guide ethical decision-making in organizations without limiting autonomy. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that, building on the problem addressed in work design theory regarding autonomy and ethical decision making, applies a MacIntyrean virtue ethics approach to explore practical considerations for employees to guide their non-expert ethical decision-making. Accordingly, the paper offers a complementary framework rooted in virtue ethics that emphasizes excellence, shared deliberation, fellowship and care as paths for a practical roadmap aimed toward ethical decision-making. Findings The paper suggests that MacIntyre’s virtue ethics provides a robust framework for addressing the paradox of autonomy and unethical behavior in organizations presented by work design theory. It shows that fostering shared deliberation, fellowship, and care can help employees identify and pursue workplace excellence while maintaining personal integrity and organizational effectiveness. Originality/value This study reframes the relationship between autonomy and ethics in the workplace, providing a philosophically grounded – yet accessible framework for plain, nonphilosophical employees – to address the paradox of autonomy and unethical behavior in organizations. It shows that fostering shared deliberation, fellowship and care can help employees identify and pursue workplace excellence while maintaining personal integrity and organizational effectiveness.