Abstract

This dissertation builds a case for why business organizations should, and how they can, attend to dignity. Therefore, it takes on three tasks: one historical, one philosophical, and one empirical. First, it specifies what dignity is, drawing on the intellectual history of the idea to indicate where it comes from and why it has enduring power. Second, it justifies the importance of dignity, explaining why we should care about it and why it is especially relevant to business organizations. Third, it explores how organizations can in fact respect and enhance human dignity. A set of dignifying conditions is proposed to operationalize respect for dignity, and multiple methods are used to measure those conditions. Quantitative findings from six organizations indicate that we can measure these dignifying conditions reliably; that they are rightfully considered properties of organizations; and that they are not merely artifacts of individuals' sensitivity and perceptions. A field study of two organizations then illuminates the consequences that follow from, and the antecedent factors that contribute to, varying levels of the dignifying conditions. What is learned about dignity and how organizations might respect and enhance it carries valuable lessons for a new approach to organizational ethics