ETHICAL EGOIST VS. ALTRUISM 2
Ethical Egoist vs. Altruism
Ethical egoism and altruism are quite different from one another. If fact, ethical egoism
is defined by Lawrence and Weber as “a manager or employee who puts his or her own self-
interest above all other is call an ethical egoist” (Lawrence, & Weber, 2020, p. 101). On the
opposite end of the spectrum, “altruism refers to the enduring tendency to think about the welfare
and rights of other people, to feel concern and empathy for them, and to act in a way that benefits
them” (Guinot, Chiva, & Mallén, 2016, p. 351).
Ladies and gentlemen, with the definitions of ethical egoist and altruism stated, let me
share a life experience of a prominent business. What is about to be shared may come as a
complete and utter shock. A short time ago my family visited a local Chick-fil-A. For the record
we have always enjoyed this business and frequent it often for their exceptional service, quality
food, and their religious beliefs. This particular day, or evening, the family stopped to get ice
cream. Chick-fil-A was extremely busy this day/evening and just as we were about to enter the
point of no return in the drive thru, we aborted and decided to place our order utilizing the online
curbside pickup. Once we parked, the curbside online application was not working. My wife
asked a young man if there was a problem with the system. Without missing a beat, the young
man stated that his manager had turned the application off because of a storm system and they
were not doing curbside pickup.
We returned to the drive thru and when we were about five cars back from ordering we
looked back to see the car line had more than 30 cars in it. While waiting to order my wife
called the store to speak to the manager. The young lady stated that she was a manager but was
not the “big manager”. She continued that she made the call to turn the application off because
there was a report of lightening and storms in the area. We explained that her decision has
ETHICAL EGOIST VS. ALTRUISM 3
resulted in an excessively long line and customers leaving. Her response was nothing shy of
astonishing. She reiterated the storms and lightening and then proceeded to tells us that she was
“short staff as well as other reasons” so she made the call. The most concerning part came when
we received our order without a receipt and had to specifically ask for one. Additionally, and for
the record, there was no storm that evening.
Without knowing all the details and just going off the facts as presented, I would have to
say that this young manager was ill prepared to deal with adversity (short staff) and lacked
confidence/ability to encourage her team to overcome and endure the hardships of business
(meeting customer expectation). “Empowering entails encouraging and facilitating others’
ability to take on responsibilities and handle difficult situations in their own way” (Chiniara &
Bentein, 2016). It is opined, the manager empathized with her subordinates (busy and short
staff) and in the name of safety (lightening) seized the opportunity to appease her subordinates
by turning off the application and directing her staff to focus on the drive thru orders only. While
I do not agree with her decision and believe it sets a poor precedence and sets the wrong example
for those that follow in her footsteps. While “altruism has not been conceived as significant or as
beneficial in the world of business” (Guinot, Chiva, & Mallén, 2016, p. 350). I am reminded of a
passage in the Book of Colossians, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17, ESV).
References
ETHICAL EGOIST VS. ALTRUISM 4
Chiniara, M., & Bentein, K. (2016). Linking Servant Leadership to Individual Performance:
Differentiating the Mediating Role of Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness Need
Satisfaction. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(1), 124-141
Guinot, J., Chiva, R., & Mallén, F. (2015;2016;). Linking Altruism and Organizational Learning
Capability: A Study from Excellent Human Resources Management Organizations in
Spain. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(2), 349-364. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2603-7
Lawrence, A. T., & Weber, J. (2020). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy,
(16th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
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