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.
Response to "He Was a JP Morgan Chase Whistle Blower. Then Came the Blowback."
The plight of whistle blowers cannot be understated. Time and again, I come across stories of whistle blowers who were retaliated against – in this case, a broker at JP Morgan Chase was essentially blacklisted from his industry for pointing out that certain corporate sales tactics that were not in his clients’ best interests. Business leaders need to realize that whistle blowers are assets rather than enemies – and that by revealing wrongdoing, they’re actually helping their company in the long run by preventing the types of massive scandals that come with dishonest business practices. Read the full story, about whistle blower Johnny Burris, at the New York Times.