Ziel dieses Eides ist es, das Ansehen des Berufsstandes “Management” wieder herzustellen, welches im Zuge des Spekulationsdesasters an der Wall Street, das zur anhaltenden Finanzkrise führte, zu Recht in harsche Kritik kam.

Die Idee eines „Eides“ wurde im Oktober 2008 von den beiden Harvard Professoren Rakesh Khurana und Nitin Nohria in einem Artikel in der "Harvard Business Review" ventiliert und vorgestellt. Einige Studierende der Harvard Business School haben dies aufgegriffen und präsentierten schließlich 2009 ihren hippokratischen Eid für Managerinnen und Manager. Es schmeckt ein wenig nach Hypokrisis.

Aktuell haben rund 1.900 Managerinnen und Manager diesen Eid geleistet. Man mag dies entweder als Chuzpe oder als galoppierende Naivität betrachten, wenn angehende Strategen und Manager ernsthaft einem glauben machen wollen, mit einem freiwilligen Eid auf die Ehre lassen sich die aktuellen Probleme der Finanzwirtschaft lösen. Egal wie die Antwort ausfallen möge, sie gereicht in beiden Fällen nicht zur Ehre und dürfte eher Beunruhigung auslösen.

All zu große Hoffnung sollte man in die praktischen Wirksamkeit vorliegenden Eides daher auch nicht legen. Denn die Wall Street feierte im Jänner fröhliche Urstände, indem sie rund 100 Milliarden US-Dollar an Bonis wieder auszahlte. Ein positiver Aspekt aber ist diesem Eid abzugewinnen: Es gibt jetzt einen selbstgelegten Maßstab, nach welchen sich Manager nunmehr beurteilen lassen müssen. Es gibt nun soetwas wie “eigene Worte”, ein vorgelegtes Selbstverständnis, wenn auch viele der verwendeten Begriffe und Wendungen im Dunklen liegen.


Nachstehend sei der Eid dokumentiert im Wortlaut:



Preamble

As a manager, my purpose is to serve the greater good by bringing people and resources together to create value that no single individual can build alone. Therefore I will seek a course that enhances the value my enterprise can create for society over the long term. I recognize my decisions can have far-reaching consequences that affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside my enterprise, today and in the future. As I reconcile the interests of different constituencies, I will face difficult choices.
Therefore, I promise:

I will act with utmost integrity and pursue my work in an ethical manner. My personal behavior will be an example of integrity, consistent with the values I publicly espouse.
I will safeguard the interests of my shareholders, co-workers, customers, and the society in which we operate. I will endeavor to protect the interests of those who may not have power, but whose well-being is contingent on my decisions.

I will manage my enterprise in good faith, guarding against decisions and behavior that advance my own narrow ambitions but harm the enterprise and the people it serves. The pursuit of self-interest is the vital engine of a capitalist economy, but unbridled greed can be just as harmful. I will oppose corruption, unfair discrimination, and exploitation.

I will understand and uphold, both in letter and in spirit, the laws and contracts governing my own conduct and that of my enterprise. If I find laws that are unjust, antiquated, or unhelpful I will not brazenly break, ignore or avoid them; I will seek civil and acceptable means of reforming them.

I will take responsibility for my actions, and I will represent the performance and risks of my enterprise accurately and honestly. My aim will not be to distort the truth, but to transparently explain it and help people understand how decisions that affect them are made.

I will develop both myself and other managers under my supervision so that the profession continues to grow and contribute to the well-being of society. I will consult colleagues and others who can help inform my judgment and will continually invest in staying abreast of the evolving knowledge in the field, always remaining open to innovation. I will mentor and look after the education of the next generation of leaders.

I will strive to create sustainable economic, social, and environmental prosperity worldwide. Sustainable prosperity is created when the enterprise produces an output in the long run that is greater than the opportunity cost of all the inputs it consumes.

I will be accountable to my peers and they will be accountable to me for living by this oath. I recognize that my stature and privileges as a professional stem from the respect and trust that the profession as a whole enjoys, and I accept my responsibility for embodying, protecting, and developing the standards of the management profession, so as to enhance that trust and respect.

This oath I make freely, and upon my honor.