The value of philosophy in management: reflections for modern managers

Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño è presidente della IE University di Madrid, ma fa parte anche dei board di molte altre istituzioni universitarie: cinesi come la Renmin o l’Antai, francesi come la Mazars, brasiliane come la Fundaçao Getulio Vargas e italiane come la Luiss.

The book is moody, entertaining, full of surprising parallels (e.g. between Zuckerberg and Hobbes, or between Steve Jobs and Plato) and references to current events. It is divided into six chapters that can be read independently or sequentially: they are dedicated to wisdom, leadership, insight, vision, honesty and optimism.

1. Professor, 'Philosophy Inc' puts the value of humanitas back at the centre: an all-embracing, transversal approach that fully belongs to the didactics of the IE University you preside over but is certainly not the norm in European business schools...

"Yet this kind of approach is more important today than ever, amid geopolitical challenges, wars and populism. It was Wilhelm von Humboldt in the late 18th and early 19th century who brought the cult of specialisation to Europe. Before, this was not the case: the liberal arts of the Quadrivium (arithmetic, music, astronomy and geometry) were the basis of school education. Today, universities in the Old World generally specialise from the first year, whereas in the United States, a broader curriculum with a generalist preparation (including literature, the arts, humanism) leads to the development of better critical thinking. And consequently to be 'global citizens', citizens of the globalised world. At IE University we have tried to bring the best of both approaches, the US horizontal approach and the European vertical approach, with the IE School of Humanities that will be inaugurated in September. I must say, however, that the Italian CEOs I have met in person are distinguished by their broad culture and all-round preparation".

2. Why do managers need to start from philosophy?

"Supporting a business strategy or making key decisions basically means having a worldview, a vision of how our society should be. This is why it is important to cultivate philosophy, which aspires to transcendence. The goal of most philosophers has always been to make the world a better place'.

3. Socrates did not give rigid, prefabricated answers, but only formulated questions.

"An unexamined life has no meaning to be lived, said Socrates. The best coaches today are those who ask us thought-provoking questions, rather than giving easy prefabricated answers. After all, it is as it is today with the art of the prompt linked to Artificial Intelligence: you have to ask the right questions to get good answers. And it is precisely the ability to ask the best questions that distinguishes us from machines and takes us beyond the computational power of algorithms. In the age of AI, we need more than ever non-conformist managers, able to think outside the box".

4. Her favourite philosophers, those who have inspired her to teach business around the world...

"I tend towards eclectic philosophy, as my father was an architect in the era of functionalism. But I also like Plato for his fascinating biography, Montaigne who always lived wealthily, and at the other end of the spectrum David Hume, who had a short and modest existence: in particular his 'Of the Delicacy of Taste', written to tame bad passions.

5. To close, a piece of advice to today's managers.

"This is the period in human history when we have the most information at our disposal. Everything should be simpler. And yet we live in uncertainty. That is why managers today must be like philosophers: discuss, argue, use logic. Be attentive to ethical dilemmas, values, respect for others. After all, after all, management is just that: philosophy in action'.