The virtue of courage: From historical European roots to current management studies

This article discusses the concept of courage – stemming from the ancient European traditions of this virtue – systematically analysing 45 management studies that deepen the role of such virtue in business organizations. From the analysis, three major themes emerge: 1) the concept of courage in organizations; 2) the concept of moral courage in organizations; and, 3) the concept of collective courage of organizations. Moreover, findings show that the management research on the virtue of courage has progressed over the years, and that – notwithstanding its strong European roots – the authors mainly involved in the conversation are North American. The contribution of this article is threefold. Firstly, it sheds light on a still under-researched virtue, pointing out its relevance in busi-ness contexts. Secondly, it clearly highlights that a shift is occurring in scholars’ interest, as an or-ganizational and collective perspective of moral courage is slowly emerging. Finally, it shows that management scholars mainly embrace Aristotle’s view of the virtue of courage, discarding the Christian approach introduced by Aquinas.