In my book, I’ve cited the Vatican as an example of a Disjointed Culture – that is, a hierarchical, bureaucratic culture characterized by an oftentimes willful lack of oversight. This story about the Secretariat of the Economy for the Vatican, Cardinal Pell, is really evocative of this. Given widespread authority to revamp the Catholic Church’s finances, his powers have been slowly pared down as special interests within the Church have regained influence. While there’s certainly more to this story, it seems like the Cardinal’s efforts at reform audits are being blocked now, despite the initial power he was given. In this interview, Pell states that his setbacks can be attributed to “people wanting to retain their turf, their traditional role,” and were therefore adverse to changes of any kind. This quote fits perfectly within my observations of Disjointed Cultures in the workplace – there’s an attitude of covering things up, rather than airing dirty laundry and instituting more comprehensive oversight policies. The full story is at The Wall Street Journal.