A little “theory of virtue” is presented below. It is intended as a contribution to the discussion about what points of orientation might be reasonable in guiding businesses to act responsibly in their use of IT, particularly in sales.

We must apply wisdom—sapientia–in our approach to IT. The virtue of wisdom is required because we can no longer take advantage of the potential of IT using paradigms from the past. Businesses, in particular, are called upon to change their way of thinking. They can make the best use of their responsibility for growth and value creation if they stop reducing IT to cost-cutting and see it as an investment in better business opportunities.

A good example is the corporate function of sales, where the Pipeliner Principle promotes a new way of thinking and acting. This change in paradigms is fundamental for an economic world permeated with information technologies. However, wisdom is also necessary because our society has to be guided between the extreme positions of technophobia and delusions of technological grandeur. With such guidance, we can arrive at a reasonable awareness of the potential that technologies possess.