A Pragmatist Approach to Integrity in Business Ethics

Integrity is a critical concept in business ethics. Scholars and practitioners affirm its relevance to the ethical fulfillment of a variety of goals in business. Integrity has been defined in a variety of ways, sometimes emphasizing moral consistency, personal wholeness, or honesty. Several scholars in business ethics have argued for the application of philosophical pragmatism in the construction of an ethical framework. A pragmatist interpretation of integrity would require that individuals consider the objective social consequences (contemporaneous and unfolding) of their actions. It would stress personal growth and learning from experience. It would not prescribe action based on a rigid and formal code of ethics. Nor would it sanction an ethics of expediency, driven by a narrow self-interest. Pragmatism affirms the interdependence of means and ends and would require an iterative, case-by-case inquiry as to one’s moral choices and their consequences.