Conclusion
摘要
The aim of this volume was to discuss meaning crises of organizations from an ontic (existentiell) and ethical perspective, while enlightening the basic aspects of meaning crises (antecedents, sequential components, prevention strategies, and efficient problem-solving processes). Three basic types of meaning crises have been analyzed: crises of values, virtues, and moral principles (ethical crises), crises of representations (conceptual crises), and crises of beliefs and convictions (paradigmatic crises). Each type of meaning crisis involves decision-makers’ existentiell (ontic) positioning which constitutes a basic obstacle to any crisis resolution process: indecisiveness (ethical crises), withdrawnness (crises of representations), and unsettledness (crises of beliefs). The inability to prevent and solve organizational crises may be related to the lack of meaningfulness and righteousness in decision-making processes (indecisiveness), the lack of authentic dialogue with stakeholders (withdrawnness), and the lack of open-mindedness (unsettledness). The potential impact of organizational “shipwreckedness” on the search for the meaning of corporate life is analyzed, in taking various meaning-oriented paths and meaning-contexts into account. Meaning crises could have adverse effects on the Board of directors, executives, middle managers, and external stakeholders. Those potential effects will be shortly described.