Unpacking the Ethics of Complexity: Concluding Reflections

Abstract

The objectives of this concluding chapter are threefold. In the first place it provides a narrative which attempts to integrate the various ways in which the concepts “complexity”, “difference” and “identity” are used by the various authors in this volume. All the contributions contain an element of critique which urges us to re-think the frameworks of our interventions and to acknowledge the inevitable normativity which our engagement with complex systems implies. The second objective is thus to develop an “ethics of complexity” in a little more detail. It is argued that the critical position is a constructive one, and that all our decisions should be provisional in principle. The notion of the “provisional imperative” is introduced. Finally the chapter aims to highlight some of the implications of these insights for our understanding and management of organisations. These insights depart significantly from the more traditional or mechanistic approaches found in contemporary business ethics discourses. Employing notions from “critical complexity”, several suggestions are made to assist the development of a more transformational approach to business ethics.