The Becker Management Debate

[syrakusos]

Completing a bachelor of science degree in criminology this April, I am in my final round of classes in sociology, including one I skipped (Sociology 202: Social Problems) and my first graduate school class (Sociology 640: Advanced Modern Theory). As a dean's list senior, my professors allow me some leeway and I am researching citations about Ayn Rand in the academic journals, primarily in sociology. I happened upon an interesting debate in the journal Academy of Management Review.

Running from January through October 1998, this tet-a-tet began with an article by Thomas E. Becker, "Integrity in Organizations: Beyond Honesty and Conscientiousness," AOMR, 23:1 (Jan. 1989) pp 154-161. Becker outlines a theory of ethics quite familiar to all of us here. The editors sent Becker's article to a critics for review and the reply appeared in the same issue, "Objections to an Objectivist Approach to Integrity" by Bruce Barry and Carroll U. Stephens. The reply to the reply "Rebuttal to a Subjectivist Critique..." was co-authored by Edwin A. Locke and Thomas E. Becker.

In October AOMR 23:3 carried "Politics and Organizational Science" by Richard M. Weiss. Beginning with a summary of some discussion from the Verein fuer Sozialpolitik convention in Vienna in 1989 about the works of Max Weber and its application to the present schemas, Weiss said: "Although the separation of facts and values seems to be a fairly well established norm, our norns deserve a little re-examination every now and then." Needless to say, this brought a reply from Locke and Becker, also published in the July issue. The replies to the replies continued with "A Candid and Modest Proposal: The Brave New World of Objectivism," by Marc Orlitzky. David Jacobs. AMOR 23:4, pp 656-658 which garnered the final nail in this coffin from Locke & Becker, "Objectivism's Answer to the Sad, Old World of Subjectivism," AMOR 23:4, pp. 658-659.

Sort of like here or RoR or SOLO, but that all counts toward publishing in lieu of academically perishing, and none of this does.

... anyway... does anyone here know of any of this? Would you like to know more?

[Robert Campbell]

Michael,

I'm not surprised that Edwin Locke has published this kind of article in Academy of Management Review. This is an academic business journal that also draws in Industrial/Organizational psychologists, among whom Dr. Locke is rather prominent.

Becker I hadn't heard of before, but I'm a theoretical psychologist with a background in developmental psych, not an I/O person, so that's hardly shocking.

Did you find anything unusual in Becker and Locke's contributions to the exchange?

Robert Campbell

[syrakusos]

Did you find anything unusual in Becker and Locke's contributions to the exchange?

Not at all, I was greatly impressed with Becker and Locke. Their argumentation was cogent. They did an excellent job of presenting the material and the wording was mainstream Objectivism. When I said, "With friends like these..." I was referring to the other business organization professors. I mean, perhaps we should have a "no retreat; no surrender" policy of engagement on all fronts, but I have pretty much written off sociology as a province of collectivists. I expect more from the business college, though I know better, of course.

I retook a semester of economics and then added another for a full year of basic requirements just on my own: micro and macro. The macro econ prof was an avowed socialist who taught Sweden as Utopia. The micro class was more Chicagoan. I had a good time, but was still to the "right" of the prof who advocated pigovian taxes to correct market failures and stuff like that. For my major (police administration), I have to take some management classes. They are more in touch with reality, but still way too deep into "organizations" and almost totally clueless about entrepreneurship. You find business management profs who want to cap executive compensations, and other junk ideas like that in the classroom.

I just wish the collectivists would find a department and go work there and leave something unsullied for us.

Edited February 4, 2008 by Michael E. Marotta