Grand Challenges Viewed through the Pragmatist Lens of the Economies of Worth: A Multidisciplinary Review and Framework for the Conduct of Moral Work in Pluralistic Settings

Abstract

A fast-growing number of organization and management scholars are responding to calls to conduct research on grand challenges (GCs). Few among these, however, question the core assumptions that underpin their efforts. In this paper we argue that the intractability of GCs stems from a failure to recognize the fundamentally pragmatic, plural, and moral character of these problems, which generate conflicts between groups over what is the ‘right’ or most appropriate course of action to pursue. A theoretical lens frequently used across many disciplines to make sense of problems such as these is Boltanski and Thévenot's (1991, 2006) economies of worth (EoW). On this premise, we undertake a multidisciplinary review of articles that use the EoW for studying GCs. Based on our analysis, we develop a pragmatist framework that articulates the practices that underpin the conduct of ‘moral work’ that organizational actors engage in as they seek to agree on a common sense of justice in GC contexts. Our framework provides a useful roadmap for scholars interested in applying a pragmatist perspective to our understanding of GCs, and by so doing, explore different, more socially just, and potentially more impactful ways of tackling them.