Management, Theology and Moral Points of View:
Towards an Alternative to the Conventional
Materialist-Individualist Ideal-Type of
Management*
Bruno Dyck and David Schroeder
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg; Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg
Weber’s (1958) argument suggests that there are four ideal-types of
management, and that conventional management is underpinned by a moral-point-
of-view associated with a secularized Protestant Ethic, which can be characterized
by its relatively high emphasis on materialism (e.g. productivity, efficiency and
profitability) and individualism (e.g. competitiveness). Weber calls on management
scholars and practitioners to become aware of their own moral-points-of-view, and
to develop management theory and practice that de-emphasizes materialism and
individualism. Our paper responds to this challenge, as we draw from an Anabaptist-
Mennonite moral-point-of-view to develop a radical ideal-type of management that is
characterized by its emphasis on servant leadership, stakeholding, job crafting and
sustaincentrism. Implications for management theory and practice are discussed.
INTRODUCTION
It has been a century since Max Weber noted, and lamented, that materialism and
individualism serve as twin hallmarks of the moral-point-of-view that underpins
contemporary management thought. In his most-renowned book, The Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber (1958, original 1904–5) provides a rich analy-
sis that helps readers to better understand why management has come to focus on
maximizing productivity, efficiency and profitability and on beating the competi-
tion. Moreover, Weber (1958, pp. 181–2) points to the folly of this materialist-indi-
vidualist emphasis, arguing that it renders followers imprisoned in an ‘iron cage’
– ‘Specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart; this nullity imagines that it
Journal of Management Studies 42:4 June 2005
0022-2380
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ,
UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.
Address for reprints: Bruno Dyck, I. H. Asper School of Business, Faculty of Management, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 5V4 (BDYCK@MS.UMANITOBA.CA).