See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/261826943

In Praise of Nepotism?

Article in Business Ethics Quarterly · January 2005

DOI: 10.2307/3857672

CITATIONS READS

27 1,205

1 author:

Joanne Ciulla
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
88 PUBLICATIONS 2,335 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Special Issue of the Business Ethics Quarterly View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Joanne Ciulla on 21 September 2021.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

In Praise of Nepotism?
In Praise of Nepotism: A Natural History by Adam Bellow
Review by: Joanne B. Ciulla
Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan., 2005), pp. 153-160
Published by: Philosophy Documentation Center
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3857672 .
Accessed: 09/12/2014 09:45

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Philosophy Documentation Center is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Business Ethics Quarterly.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REVIEWARTICLE

IN PRAISE OF NEPOTISM?

JoanneB. Ciulla

In Praise of Nepotism:A NaturalHistory

Adam Bellow

New York:Doubleday,2003, 576 pages, ISBN 0-385-49388-6,$30.00 (Canada

$45.00),h.c.; New York:Anchor,2004, 576 pages, ISBN 0-385-49389-4,$16 pbk.

Tmagine thatyou are the regionaldirectorof a largemultinationalmanufacturing

lconcern who oversees operationsin severalforeign countries.A year ago, you
promoteda talented,hardworking,local employeeto runone of yourfactories.Ona
visit to the region,you decideto stopin andvisit the factory.Whenyou arriveat the
manager'soffice,you noticethatthe secretaryhasthe samelastnameas themanager.
You mentionthis to him, and he tells you that she is his sister.He takesyou on a
tourof the plant,and,as you waLkaround,the manageris greeted,by variouspeople
workingthere,as "Uncle,""Cousin,"and "Father." You ask him, "Isthis some sort
of customor are all of these peopleyourrelatives?"He replies,"Yes;I have a duty
to take care of my family."You then discoverthat,of the eighty employeeson the
payroll,overhalf aremembersof the manager'sextendedfamily.
Is the manager'sbehaviorunethicalor is thisjust a culturaldifferencein the way
peopledo business,or is theresomethingelse going on here?
Let'scut to the 2000 presidentialelectionin the U.S. It pitteda son of a president
againstthesonof a senator.WhenGeorgeW.Bushwon,he appointedMichaelPowell,
son of ColinPowell,to be chairmanof the FEC;ElaineCho, wife of SenatorMitch
McConnell,to be secretaryof labor;andEugeneScalia,sonof SupremeCourtJustice
AntoninScalia,to be thechieflaborattorney.In additionto theseappointments, Bush
madethe Vice President'sdaughter,ElizabethCheney,deputyassistantsecretaryof
state,andherhusbandchiefcounselfortheOfficeof ManagementandBudget.At the
requestof SenatorStromThrumond(andto the dismayof some people),Bushgave
Thurmond'stwenty-eight-year-old son thejob of U.S. Attorneyfor SouthCarolina.

(C)2005. Business Ethics Quarterly,Volume 15, Issue 1. ISSN 1052-1SOX. pp. 153-160

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
154 BUSINESS ETHICSQUARTERLY

Otherfamily legacies in races that election year includedthree senators -Hillary

RodhamClinton,the wife of formerpresidentBill Clinton;JeanCarnahan,who had
takenherdeadhusbandisseat;andElizabethDole, wife of a formersenator.
Onemightarguethatpoliticsis differentthanbusiness,butthinkagain.Almost95
percentof Americanbusinessesarefamilyowned,including40 percentof theFortune
500 companies.Most businessesthroughoutthe worldare family owned.Twenty-
six yearold LachlanMurdochmanagesa publishingconcernfor his fatherRupert's
company.WilliamFordrunsthe Fordmotorcompany;JaneLauderheadsup Estee
Lauder,and,in 1999,Bill Wrigleytook overhis family'schewinggumbusiness.No
one seems to complainaboutnepotismin thesebusinesses
The list of whoSswho in nepotismin business,politics,the arts andsportsgoes
on and on in Adam Bellow's fascinatingbook In Praise of Nepotism:A Natural
History.Bellow personallyknows a thing or two aboutnepotism.He is the son of
the Nobel Prize winningauthorSaul Bellow and a book editorfor Doubleday.His
exhaustivelyresearchedandthoroughlyengagingbookitselfillustratesanotherfacet
of nepotism sometimessons and daughtersof greatwriters,businesspeople, and
politiciansexcel in those areastoo. Bellow'sbook examinesthe historyof nepotism
by enlistingresearchfrom evolutionarybiology, anthropology,religion,sociology,
psychology,politicalscience,history,law,andeconomics to namea few. He argues
that,althoughnepotismis problematic,it is notalwaysbadandit is almostimpossible
to stampout. This book will appealto anyonewith an interestin familybusinesses,
businessethics,politics,andleadership.Nepotismis attherootsof key issuesin busi-
ness ethics andleadership.In ethics,nepotismgets to the heartof questionsrelated
to reciprocityaltruism,duty,fairness,merit and equalopportunity.Nepotismalso
offersinsightinto the role of familyin the developmentof leaders.

Bad Nepotismand GoodNepotism

Bellow tells us thatthereis bad nepotismandgood nepotism.In the case of the
factorymanager,the knee jerk reactionis that hiring one's relativesis unethical
becauseit's unfairto those outsidethe family,andthe managersrelativesmay not
be the mostqualifiedworkers.Nepotismtakesdifferentforms.Bushdid not appoint
his relatives,but the relativesof political colleagues.Many of them are qualified
for theirjobs, but perhapsnot the best qualified.Yet, we let this sort of thing slide
because,accordingto Bellow,people todaytend to definenepotismnot as hiringa
relativesbut as hiringan incompetentrelative.Objectionsto nepotismfall into two
overlappingcategories:the distinctionbetweenpublicandpnvate,andmerit.Onthe
one hand,we do not thinkthatit is unfairthatWilliamFordis CEOof the FordMo-
tor Companybecauseit is his family'sbusiness.On the otherhand,it wouldmatter
if an incompetentfamilymemberranFordbecausehis or her incompetencewould
negativelyaffecta numberof stakeholders.
Nepotismhas also thrivedamonglaborunionmembersandleadersin America.
WilliamHutchesonS who ranthe carpenters'unionfor thirty-sevenyears,was suc-
ceeded by his son. JamesHoffa,Jr.,took over the teamster'sunionafterhis father

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REVIEWOF IN PRAISEOF NEPOTISM 155

disappeared, andJohnL. Lewis'sfamilydynastyheadeduptheUnitedMineWorkers.

Despitepoliciesagainstnepotism,Bellownotesthatsomelargecompaniesliketo hire
relativesof employeesbecausethe conductof one relativeis often a good indicator
of the conductof another.Therearealso companiesthathirerelativesof employees
as a way of buildingsolidarityandcommitmentto the organization.
Nepotismis a formof patronage.InAmerica,peopleacceptordon'ttakeaggressive
actionagainstpoliticalpatronage,
evenif theydon'tlikeit. Bellownotesthatwherethere
is patronage,nepotismis usuallynot farbehind,as in Bush'scase.American'saren't
concernedwhenthe son of a presidentbecomespresidentbecausehe is not appointed
by hisfatherorguaranteed theofficeby heredity.PresidentGeorgeW.Bushwaselected,
supposedlyon his merits.Yet,few woulddenythatpoliticaldynastiessuchastheRoos-
evelts,Kennedys,orBushesdidnothavea significantadvantageoveradversaries, who
mayhavebeenbetterqualified,becauseof theirfamilynamesandconnections.
Bellowmakesa distinctionbetweenoldnepotismandnewnepotism.Oldnepotism
was topdownandoftencoercive.Parentsset themselvesupas rolemodels,hiredtheir
children,orusedtheirinfluenceto getthemjobs.Theymanagedtheirchildren'scareers
andoftentoldthemwhomto marryto improvethe strategic,social,and/oreconomic
standingof the family.The new nepotismis voluntaryandbottomup. Childrenuse
theirfamilynameandrelatives'influenceto get ahead.They validatetheirparents'
successratherthantheirparentsworkingto ensuretheirchildren'ssuccess.

TheRootsof Nepotism
TheLatinrootof theword"nepotism" is nepos,whichmeansnepheworgrandson.
However,Bellow tells us thatthe worditself comes fromthe Italiannipote,which
refersto any male or female familymember.The wordnepotismo originatedin the
fourteenthor fifteenthcenturyandwas usedto describethe corruptpracticeof popes
appointingrelativesandillegitimatechildrento offices.
Bellow begins his explorationof nepotismby looking at what biologists have
to say aboutthe phenomenonin nature.In nature,species of ants,bees, birds,mole
rats,etc., exhibitaltruisticbehavior.Biologistsdefinealtruismas the behaviorof an
animalthatdoes not reproduceso thatit can ensurethe successfulreproductionof
othersin its family.Accordingto biologistMaryMaxwell,theabilityof humansto act
altruisticallytowardsothersis passedon geneticallyfromaltruisticbehaviorthatwas
firstpracticedin the family.Recentevidenceaboutthe cooperationandself-sacrifice
in some speciescontradictsthe notionof survivalof the fittest.Bellow suggeststhat
the driveis not for the survivalof the individual'sgenes, butfor the survivalof the
family'sgenes.He says,"Compassion,guilt,andgratitudemaybe linkedto reciproc-
ity, butsincereciprocityrequiresa strongmutualbondto get started,it seemsfairto
concludethatif notforkin selection,reciprocitywouldnotcomeintoplay as a factor
in humansociety"(Bellow, 69). The developmentof a family,with its divisionof
laborandaltruisticreciprocity,gave humansa tremendousadaptiveadvantageover
othergroups.Drawingtogethertheworkof variousbiologists,Bellowconcludesthat
we arehardwiredfor nepotism.He suggestsmoraldispositionssuchas duty,obliga-

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 156 BUSINESS ETHICSQUARTERLY

tion, andthe greatestgood arederivedfromnepotisticinstincts.Somephilosophers,

particularlyKantians,mighttakeseriousissue withthis statement.

OldandNew Nepotism
Bellow believesthatnepotismis a social andculturalstrategyfor living in com-
munitiesthatarebasedon marriage,reproduction,andinheritance.His descriptions
of ancient,Eastern,classical,colonial,andmodernnepotismarefascinatingin part
becauseof the storieshe tells aboutthefamilyhistoriesof politicalandbusinesslead-
ers.Ancientnepotismis a systemof reciprocitythatoffersa solutionto distributing
goods in extendedfamiliesbasedon tribe,clans,andcaste.Bellow offersnumerous
instancesof nepotismthataresimilarto ouroriginalcase. Forexample,the general
managerof Air Zimbabwehiredthree of his nephewsas seniormanagers.When
people complainedaboutthis, the manager'spatron,the ministerof transportation,
protectedhim.Bothmen weremembersof PresidentRobertMugabe'sZezurutribe.
In Brazil,a regionalcourtjudge employedsixty-threeof his relatives,includinghis
wife andchildren.GovernorLinindingPangandaman of theAutonomousRegionof
MuslimMindanacoappointedthirteenrelativesto key governmentposts, including
eightof thefifteencabinetpositions.MohamedSuharto'sregimeexcelledatnepotism
andwith it, corruptionandcronycapitalism.Suhartolavishedbusinessmonopolies
on his six children,whose wealthwas estimatedto be over$40 billion.
Bellow's discussionof nepotismin ancientChinais particularlyinteresting.In
Chinathe respectandworshipof ancestorsmadethe clana pillarof society.Chinese
rulersforged allianceswith otherfamilies and developedhuge clans that spanned
acrosstheirvast empire.The ancientEmperorsengagedin large-scalepolygamyto
growtheirfamilies.BellowreportsthattheCh'inemperorwas saidto havehadthree
thousandwives andconcubines.Harempoliticswerefierceandwomenin the harem
workedhardto promotetheirchildrenandtheirextendedfamilies'interests.
The intenseinterandintrafamilydemandsfor patronagecausedproblemswhen
the Chinesecivil servicewas born.The civil servicewas supposedto be based on
merit,butnoble familiesstill used theirpull to get relativesjobs, regardlessof their
abilities.Theproblembecameso greatthatthe Sungdynastyinstitutedmorerigorous
entryrequirementsand startedholdingpatronsresponsiblefor the performanceof
theirproteges.To keep everyonehappy,they put aside somejobs thatcould still be
filledby patronage.Nonetheless,Bellowtells us, freeingthecivil serviceof nepotism
wasdifficult.As the old Chineseproverbsays, "Whena manbecomesanofficial,his
wife,children,dogs, cats, andeven chickensfly up to heaven"(Bellow,95).
In a last ditch effortto rid the civil service of nepotism,the Chineseemployed
eunuchs.The theorywas that eunuchswere docile and since they could not have
families,they wouldbe loyal only to the emperor.In practiceeunuchsin Chinaand
otherpartsof the worldusedtheirpositionsto gainpowerandwealthfor themselves
andtheirextendedfamilies.Also becausetheyhadaccessto theharem,eunuchscould
manipulate the fiercecompetitionof the womenin theharem.Bellow observes,"The
experiment witheunuchsshedsrevealinglighton thelongattemptinWesternsocieties

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REVIEWOF IN PRAISEOF NEPOTISM 157

to replacethe family in publiclife with an impersonalregimeof bureaucratic effi-

ciency"(Bellow,96). BellowmaintainsthatConfucius'sgreatestcontribution to China
was creatingan ethicaldoctrinethatbalancedfilialpiety withprinciplesof merit.
Nepotismexistedthroughout the ancientworld.The OldTestamentof the Bibleis
literallya who'swho of nepotismandfamilyvalues.In ancientGreeceandRomewe
see the tensionbetweensocietiesbasedon nepotismwith emergingideas of dutyto
the state.In Plato'sRepublic,childrenin the ideal societywereraisedby the stateto
underminetheirnepotisticpreferencesfortheirrelatives.InSophocles'play,Antigone,
Antigonestruggleswiththe conflictbetweendutyto herfamilyanddutyto the state.
Bellowtells us thatthe classicalRomanformof nepotismgavethe fathertotalpower
overthefamily,andinparticular it allowedhimto subordinatehis sonsso thattheycould
productivelyuse theirenergies.Europeannepotismandits Americancousinemerged
outof classicalnepotism.Thisformof nepotismfocusedon family,notclanandtribe.It
wasclass-based,paternalistic,andexclusive.Accordingto Bellow,Europeannepotism
was shapedin historyby strategicmarriages,the church,the state,andthe market.
Nepotismwas very muchon the mindsof America'sfoundingfathers.The last
thingtheywantedin theirnewcountrywashereditaryrule.Oneof themanyqualities
thatmadeGeorgeWashingtonattractiveas the firstpresidentwas the factthathe did
not have any children.WhenJohnAdamsranagainstThomasJefferson,his detrac-
torsfearedthat,becauseAdamshada son, he mighttryto starta dynasty.(Jefferson
did not have a son.) AfterAdamsbecamepresident,Bellow tells us, Adamswas so
dedicatedto theprincipleof subjugatingprivateinterestto thepublicgoodthatwhen
his son JohnQuincyAdamsbecamea diplomat,he did not wantto promotehim.
GeorgeWashingtonintervenedon JohnQuincyAdams'sbehalf.He wrotea letterto
PresidentAdamspointingout thatit wouldbe wrongto not promotethe best diplo-
mattheyhadbecausehe was the president'sson. In otherwords,meritshouldbe the
guidingprinciple,not concernovernepotism.

TheArgument
for Nepotism
Whatis alarmingaboutBellow'sstudyis therapidexpansionof nepotisminAmerica
in recentyears.Withits expansion,therehasbeenanincreasinginterestin overturning
policiesdesignedto protectcitizensfromnepotism,suchastheinheritance ordeathtax.
Onewondershow a trendtowardsnepotismaffectslaws relatedto equalopportunity
andaffirmativeaction.WhileAmericadoesnothavetribesor clans,it doeshaveother
groupingsin society,suchas race,class,andethnicity,whichexcludeothers.It would
seem thatan increasein nepotismleadsto a decreasein equalopportunity.
Bellow does not see thistrendtowardsa hereditaryelite as all bad.He says nepo-
tism acts as "a valuablecorrectiveto the extremetendenciesof meritocracyitselfR'
(Bellow, 19). Bellow arguesthatan elite thatconsistsof those who madeit on their
ownmaynotfeel a bondof obligationto therestof society.Thispointis controversial,
but it raises an interestingissue in regardto nepotismin business.One of the great
challengesof managerialcapitalismis how to motivatemanagers,who weren'town-
ers, to put the interestsof the organizationbeforetheirown interests.Stockoptions

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 158 BUSINESS ETHICSQUARTERLY

and pay-for-performance are meansof aligninge interestsof managerswith

the
organization.Howeverthe appealto managersself-interesthas
led to self-interested
behavior.In recentyears,Americanshave seen all too many
self-made,overpaid
CEOswho haveeitherrunup the priceof theircompany's
stockswhile runningthe
companydown, or have watchedtheirpaychecksand golden
parachutesskyrocket
while theiremployeesstoodin line for unemployment
benefits.In thisenvironment7
a FordrunningFordor a LauderrunningEsteeLauder
may seem like betteroptions
forprotectingthe interestsof a company(as long as they
arecompetent).Thebenefit
of nepotismin a familybusinessis thatthe family
memberis usuallyin businessfor
the long haul. So perhapsthe real problemof
managerialcapitalismis how to find
incentivesthatareas strongas the ties thatbindfamilies
togetherandmotivatethem
to buildand care for a businessthatthey can pass on
to futuregenerations.This is
not to say thatbusinessesrunby familymembersare
immuneto corruptionAfter
all, not all familyvaluesaregood ones
The resurgenceof hereditar,v elites in politicsis moretroublingthanin business.
HereBellow's argumentis moreproblematic.One reason
campaignfinancereform
is so complicatedin Americais becauseon the one
hand,we worrythatmoneyand
specialinterestslead to corruptionand undercutthe
interestsof the countryas a
wholeWhileon the otherhand,a candidatewho owes
nothingto anyonemaynotbe
responsive to theinterestsof a varietyof constituents.Furthermore,
Bellownotesthat
candidates who financetheirownpoliticalcampaignsorwhorefuseto
use patronage,
oftendiscoverthattheyhavenot establishedthe networks
andties of reciprocitythat
theyneed to be effectiveon thejob.
Theremaybe a varietyof reasonswhypoliticallegacies
havebecomeprevalentin
recent years.InAmericaandin othercountries therehasbeenagrowingdisenchantment
withleaders.Citizensthinkpoliticiansarecorruptand
self-interestedor they simply
believethattherearefew peoplewho arefit to be leaders.
Perhapsthe resurgenceof
political legacies is becausevotersthinkleadersfrompolitical
familieshave better
resources fortakingon thebusinessof leading.Fewwouldargue
thatGeorgeW.Bush
wonhis ISrstelectionsolelyon thebasisof his own
competenciesandqualifications as
aleader.Therecognition,money,andinfluencethathis
familynamebroughthimwere
key to his success.Thefactthathe hadhis familyandhis
father'sadvisorsbehindhim
reassured somevotersthatexperienced handswouldhelpBushgrowintothepresidency.
Furthermore, politicianshavebecomeproductssold on the marketto voters.
toadvertiseandto have a namebrand.Familynames It pays
arenamebrands.If you liked
oneKennedy,Clinton,or Bush, you may like another
one. Nepotismthrivestoday
because namerecognitionis so importantin politicsandbecause
the mediatendsto
make celebritiesoutof leadersandtheirkin.Nonetheless,thereis no
that reasonto believe
we get the best leaderswhenwe vote for namebrand
politicians.

Nepotismand Leaders
Oneprovocativeelementof Bellow'saccountis tShe sheernumberof greatleaders
in
businessand politics who lost theirone or both of their
parentswhen they were

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 REVIEWOF IN PRAISEOF NEPOTISM 159

young andhad to findpatronsandbuildtheirown networksto become successful.

For example,MayerAmschelRothschild,the patriarchof the Rothschildbusiness
empire,was bornin 1744 and orphanedat age twelve. Afterhis parents'death,he
was apprenticedto the family firmof Wolf JakobOppenheim.Throughaggressive
nepotismand strategicmarriagesRothschildestablisheda family businessempire
thathas enduredfor centuries.AmongAmericanpresidents,it is strikinghow many
of the best presidentslost parentswhen they were young. In Bellow's book alone,
examplesof presidentswho lost theirfatherswhentheywerechildrenincludeGeorge
WashingtonS ThomasJefferson,AndrewJacksonSandFranklinRoosevelt.Abraham
Lincoln was greatlyaffectedby the loss of his motheras a youngster.Leadership
scholarshave noted the numberof prominentleadersthroughouthistorywho have
lost one or both parentsas children.(By the way, this is even truefor some great
philosophers.Plato,Aristotle,and Confuciusall lost theirfatherswhen they were
young children.)Whetherthis is just coincidence,a correlationS or somethingmore
is worthinvestigating.
GivenwhatBellow tells us aboutthe leaderswho lost one or moreparentswhen
young,onewondersif trulyextraordinary leadersemergebecauseof theskillstheyhave
to developto makein theworldwithoutthehelpof a parent.Bellowoffersnumerousex-
amplesof hownepotismworksin extendedfamilies,clan,andtribes,andpatronsoutside
of the family Perhapsit takesmorepersonalskillto navigatenetworksof peoplewho
arenotcloserelatives?If thisis thecase,thenonemightconcludethatnepotismyieldsa
weakercropof leadersthanthosewhohavethe wherewithal to makeit on theirown.
We also see in Bellows accountthatthe familycan serveas a leadershipschool.
WhenCorazonAquinowasrunningforpresident,shekeptsaying,"I'mjust a house-
wife."Thatmay have been true,but she lived in the householdsof majornational
leadersas a childandas a marriedwoman.Wealsoknowthatto someextentpeople's
talentsare "hardwired."The Bach familyproducedsome good musicians,the Wil-
liamsfamily good tennisplayers,etc. Whileleadersaren'tnecessarilyborn,clearly
somepeoplearebornwithtalentsandpersonalitiesthatlendthemselvesto leadership.
Throughout historyleadershipandoccupationshavebeenfamilybusinesses.Children
areeitherexplicitlygroomedfortheiroccupationin thehomeorget a tastefora certain
kindof workfromwhatthey learnat home andwhattheirfamilyvalues.

TheEthicsof Nepotism
Bellowtendsto placemoreemphasison themeritsof nepotismthanits downside.
Yet, his examplesshow how nepotismis not only difficultto kill, but also difficult
to sustainwithoutleadingto corruptionand/orstagnationin businessandpolitics.
At the end of the book,he says thatnepotismis an artthatneedsto be practicedthe
rightway.He offersthe followingrulesfor those who benefitfromnepotism.First,
don't embarrassyourparentor parents.Second,workharderthaneveryoneelse to
show yourmeritanddon'tembarrassyourself.And third,be gratefulfor yourgood
fortunein life and be generouswith others,especially those withoutfamily con-
nections.(This one soundslike noblesse oblige.) These conditionsmay make the

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
160 BUSINESS ETHICSQUARTERLY

beneficiaryof nepotismworthyof thejob, butnot necessarilythe best personfor it.

It's also questionablewhetherthose who benefitfromnepotismcan even the score
by giving someonewithoutconnectionsa leg up.
WhileBellowhighlightsthebenefitsof nepotism,he is less explicitaboutits costs.In
businessandin a democracy, peopledefinefairnessas givingthejob to themostdeserv-
ingperson,(meaningbestqualified,mosttalented,hardestworking,etc.)evenwhenthey
knowthisisn'talwaysthecase.Nepotismcreatesa closedgroupof people,tiedtogether
by intenseloyaltyto eachotherandinsulatedfromoutsidescrutinyandopinion.Even
themosttalentednepotisticnetworkseventuallyrunout of steamthrougheitherliteral
or figurativeinbreeding.Not everyfamilymemberor friendof a familymemberis the
brightest mostqualifiedforthejob.Theseextendedfamiliesandfriendsof thefamilykeep
powerandthebenefitsof powerwithinthegroup,creatinganatmosphere ripeforcorrup-
tion.Nepotismundermines basicdemocratic principlesofjustice,fairness,andequality.
Whilenepotismis all aroundus today,thereareplaceswhereit shouldnotbe.
Bellow contendsthatAmericanshavean extremeantipathyto nepotism.He says,
"Nepotism hasbeenjudgedharshlyinlightof ourideologicalviewthatwe "ought" to love
humanity morethanourfamily,thatwe "ought" tovalueefficiencyandmeritoverpersonal
loyalty,orthatwe oughtto makeit on ourowninsteadof acceptinghelpfromrelatives
orfriends.Thetruthis, veryfew peopledo this"(Bellow,482).Thispointis well taken.
Nepotismis morallyrightin privatelife butit's alsomorallywrongin publiclife.
If we returnto ouroriginalcase,we see thatthefactorymanagerhasa strongmoral
obligationto takecareof his extendedfamily.Forhimthisobligationis strongerthanhis
obligationto givejobs to strangers.Ona privatelevel,it does seemwrongfor a person
tocaremoreaboutthewelfareof strangersthanhis orherfamily.Ona publiclevel,the
levelof workingin a businessthatis notyourown,thepriorityof moralobligationsare
reversed.Businessesrequireemployeesto put strangersbeforetheirfamilies(andin
somesituationsthisrequirement maybe wrong).Theonlywaythatthefactorymanager
inourcase canfill his publicandprivateobligationsis to hirewell-qualifiedrelatives.
Thiscompromisewouldnot satisfythe seriousanti-nepotist. We need to be careful
aboutthe way we assessthe moralcharacterof the factorymanager.Thereis nothing
unethical abouthis obligationto his family.Theproblemis themeanshe usesto fill his
obligation. His nepotismmayindicatethathe is orhasthepotentialto be corrupt,butit
isalso likelythatlikeAntigone,he is morallystuckbetweena rockanda hardplace.
Bellow's observationsaboutthe ethics of nepotismalso help us reflecton why
leadership is ethicallychallenging.A leader'sjob is to putthe interestsof the public
orthe organizationbeforeprivateinterests.As Bellow showsus, this principlegoes
against ournaturalinstinctsandemotions.So in thissense,thereis somethingunnatural
aboutleadership.Hence,leadersneedto havea tremendousamountof self-discipline
andself-confidenceto managepersonalfeelings aboutfamilyandfriendsas well as
thenetworksof reciprocitythatare also partof theirjob. This is a delicatebalance.
Leaders who freelypracticenepotismtip the balance.Whenthishappens,we should
worryand watch them closely to make sure they are servingthe best interestsof
thepublicor the organization.WhileBellow intendsto praisenepotism,his careful
research andreportingactuallysoundsthe alarmagainstit.

This content downloaded from 141.166.204.162 on Tue, 9 Dec 2014 09:45:21 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
View publication stats