“Digital virtues”: Aristotelian leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Proceedings of The 5th International Conference on Applied Research in Management, Economics and Accounting

Year: 2022

DOI:

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“Digital virtues”: Aristotelian leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Dr.Spyridon Stelios, Dr.Panagiotis Tzavaras

ABSTRACT: 

Aristotelian leadership in corporations and organizations as well as the virtues associated with it have been extensively studied. Today, due to the pandemic but mainly because of Information Communication Technologies (see Fourth Industrial Revolution) there is an increase in online communication within corporate organizations (via emails, teleconferencing, etc.). In this new context, managers, CEOs and company leaders in general are developing digital behaviors. Online and electronic communication has largely replaced in person and a leader should cultivate and use her virtues within a new digital environment. In this context, can we refer to emerging digital virtues or is the technological factor too weak to disturb the nature of these character traits? In order to address this question, this paper investigates four Aristotelian virtues that lie at the heart of an ethical corporate leader, i.e. prudence/practical wisdom, fortitude (courage), temperance, and justice.  The findings will determine whether changing the means of communication affects the way in which a leader should develop these virtues.

keywords: 4^th Industrial Revolution, digital economy, Management.