IESE Research Papers,
IESE Business School

Abstract: This paper uses a real-life case taken from political history and recounted by Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech Republic. Three times in this country's history, its leaders opted for a "more realistic" solution (giving way when faced with a serious problem: invasion or insurrection) in preference to a "more ethical" solution (resisting, knowing the high cost in human lives this would entail). In this paper we analyze the relationship between heroism (adopting a "more ethical" solution), management, and leadership. Particular emphasis is placed on the morality of the "more ethical" decision, the obligation or lack of it to put that decision into practice, and the relationship between a "more ethical" form of conduct and leadership in the firm.

Keywords: Consequence; courage; decision; ethics; heroism

JEL-codes: Z10

16 pages, March 24, 2001

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