Kohlberg’s Moral Manager I: From Impulsiveness to Punishment

The morality of Laurence Kohlberg (1927–1987) is somewhat different from all previously discussed philosophers on ethics. Kohlberg’s work applies to almost every single form of ethics ever developed by philosophers. It also applies to all forms of human conduct and to all institutions (Kohlberg 1958, 1973, 1981, 1984; Kohlberg and Kramer 1969). Kohlberg’s moral philosophy ranges from stage zero, the pre-adult stage where impulsiveness governs human behaviour, to stage seven at which morality relates to a holistic and cosmic view that includes plants and animals. This chapter includes an introduction to Kohlberg’s ethics and his first two stages. The complexity and extent of bringing the moral stages three to seven into a relationship with the essence of management demands another chapter and will be discussed in Chapter 8. But before this is done, a short introduction will sketch out the main elements of Kohlberg’s contribution to ethics.