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Organizations Are Not Moral Agents. Systems Produce Outcomes.

Mid-century modern illustration in warm brown, orange, and yellow tones showing gears, charts, a balance scale, and a human profile with circuitry to represent organizational systems and outcomes. The headline reads, “Organizations Are Not Moral Agents. Systems Produce Outcomes.” At the bottom, the image includes the text, “The Clarity Lounge ☕ at drtrecabourne.com/blog.”

In organizational theory, management ethics, and sociology, there is broad agreement that organizations are not moral agents. Put differently: Organizations are not moral actors. Organizations do not have moral agency; people do. Organizations are amoral systems, not moral beings. Institutions are not moral entities; they are instruments. Only individuals possess moral intent, conscience, and accountability. …

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