Editorial Musings on What Makes the Blood Flow in Business Ethics Research

The editorial essay, such as this one, in which incoming editors in chief to a reputed academic journal present their viewsof a field, their strategy for a journal, and how they are going to impact an ongoing ecology of academic discourses, is a strange genre. Its authors traverse the tightrope stretched between change and continuity, seeking to inspire and renewwithout alienating the community on whose efforts the reputation of the journal is built and without compromising the reputation of that journal. We accepted the honorable responsibility of leading BEQ because we admire its pluralism and welcoming of multiple perspectives, the rigor and quality of its editorial review process, and the high-quality work that results from that process. These are qualities to which we have committed ourselves and that we seek to advance. We are well aware that the reputation of a respectable journal like BEQ has built up over time, as the result of the dedication and effort of many individuals: our predecessors, associated editors, reviewers, authors. It has thus become institutionalized; it has, over time, obtained a “life of its own” (Selznick 1949). In light of this, we see our role as being primi inter pares. On that same account, we are somewhat skeptical of the embellishment of the leadership of individual editors, a phenomenon that one may occasionally encounter in informal conversations. Editorial leadership is teamwork; it has multiple dimensions, including both gatekeeping and curating promising manuscript submissions to publication. Yet, and precisely because of institutionalization, the ability of editors—and their editorial essays—to influence authors’ decisions on what they study, how they write, and where they submit their work can easily be overstated. Consequently, in preparing for the professional and functional aspects of their new role, prospective editors are well advised to read, for example, Baruch et al.’s (2008)Opening the Black Box of Editorship, because of its considerate and practical advice. But alongside, they also may wish to read Lev Tolstoy’sWar and Peace, for example, as a reminder that the ability of leadership to