The Moral Politics of Organizations: Reflections of an Unlikely Feminist *

Abstract

In this autobiographical account, the author describes how her background and organizational experiences in school, the church, employment, and other contexts have influenced her life and work. The author's upbringing in a Deep South town dominated by a textile company and her work in universities as a student and faculty member have led to her interest in organizational use and abuse of power, decision making, ethics, discriminatory practices, and the contradictions of official versus informal goals and practices. When organizations in her life failed to uphold their promises of neutrality, meritocracy, and fairness, particularly with respect to women, the author came to realize how much organizations tolerate and sometimes even reward rule violations. This prompted her to become a feminist, and to view organizations as entities responsible for the morality of their outcomes.