Thinking outside the box?
24th March 2006
In every sphere of life, “thinking outside the box” is a virtue that is not only encouraged, and highly desirable. This is especially so in the area of business, politics and probably also in religion.
But, does “thinking outside the box”, the virtue of not allowing the constraints of culture, habit or history limit one in problem solving or decision making, also cause one to take short cuts in moral issues?
This is especially significant for people in leadership positions, for they have the power to influence people, organizations and society itself. Recently, I reflected on a problematic question in leadership and moral justification, specifically about the nature of our understanding about the responsibilities of leadership that make us think that there are reasons to excuse or at least justify their immoral actions, at least some of the time.
When one thinks about the type of people that we typically choose to be leaders, one of the more highly prized virtues we desire in those who lead is this quality of flexibility and creativity. However, does this mean that we are also seeking those who are more prone to take liberties in ethical matters?
For certainly we do not wish to have our leaders not respect moral demands upon them or their organizations, while at the same time we do not wish for our leaders to be hampered by restrictive thinking and inflexibility.
Is this a real dilemma? How do we reconcile this state of affairs?
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