Greed: Theoretical, Religious and Business Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: The utmost aim of this article is to explore the concept of greed in various disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, economics, business, and religion. Moreover, this study also surveyed the literature to know the outcomes of greed. It is determined that in all popular disciplines of the world, greed is treated as an evil desire. While in the business context, against all the odds, greed is found as a driver behind some negative as well as some positive outcomes. Methodology: The concept of greed was surveyed in the literature of many disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, psychology, economics, and business. The concept was deeply studied and presented from the old literature of the world. Findings: Greed has been described from many viewpoints. This review found that greed is a drive behind some positive outcomes, such as individual and organizational performance, innovative workplace behaviors, and organizational innovativeness. Moreover, it is also found that greed can promote some negative outcomes such as envy and workplace deviance. Significance: This article has a value at both the scholarly and practice level. At a scholarly level, this review provides insights into the greed phenomenon from different streams of literature. At the practice level, the ïn ˛Andings of this study will help in e ˇ ffective and efficient management by understanding the nature and outcomes of greed. Limitations: This study only provides theoretical explanations of the outcomes of greed. Further studies should be conducted to empirically examine the said outcomes. Practical Implication: Comprehending the concept of greed provided many new insights and provided in the paper. Moreover, from this theoretical exploration of greed managers can understand the positive as well as the negative mechanism of such negative emotions in their employees.