Management decision making, ethical issues and “emotional” intelligence

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to update and expand a model described in a previous paper by the author (Holian, 2002), which categorised practices, skills and preferences of practising managers and management consultants.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study and qualitative interviews provided the data used as the basis for development of a model of ethical decision‐making behaviour.

Findings

This paper extends the previous work to include a mode of “Narcissism” as a further category of behaviour. It builds on the analysis and application of findings from the previous original research study, discusses links with research on “emotional intelligence”, and describes applications to management practice and management education.

Research limitations/implications

A model with five modes of ethical decision making and four sets of associated skills is presented and discussed.

Practical implications

This paper includes practical implications for managers, consultants and management educators.

Originality/value

The model described is based on original research. The suggested links with “emotional intelligence” are also not yet explored in the literature.

Citation

Holian, R. (2006), "Management decision making, ethical issues and “emotional” intelligence", Management Decision, Vol. 44 No. 8, pp. 1122-1138. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740610690658