| The three-year Commission to Inquire into the Dublin | | | | demanding why the last directive has not been |
| Archdiocese investigated hundreds of incidents of | | | | complied within the deadline specified. |
| abuse and showed the ways in which decades of | | | | The group of managers I am working with are using |
| exploitation of children had been covered over by | | | | the time we spend together as a reflective space to |
| the active participation of the legal authorities and | | | | think about the difficulties of managing. One of the |
| four archbishops. Bishops, priests and religious orders | | | | things they return to again and again is the time that |
| in the diocese had clear knowledge of allegations and | | | | it takes to respond to the endless new initiatives that |
| practice of abuse going back to the early 70s and | | | | the strategy process has thrown up. The managers |
| there were complaints made against 28 priests, some | | | | present do not consider themselves 'against change', |
| of whom were known by the church authorities to | | | | indeed they are committed to what they are doing, |
| be abusers even before they became priests. The | | | | and are constantly making the necessary |
| report concludes that: | | | | improvements and adjustments irrespective of the |
| The Archdiocese was pre-occupied until the | | | | corporate strategy. Indeed, many of them would |
| mid-1990s with maintaining secrecy, avoiding scandal, | | | | already consider themselves quite entrepreneurial. |
| protecting the reputation of the Church and | | | | However, the anxiety that surrounds the strategy |
| preservation of assets. | | | | for everyone concerned has created an environment |
| I listened in horror to radio reports by those who had | | | | where it has become quite difficult to argue against |
| been abused who either felt unable to raise their | | | | what is being proposed, no matter how unworkable |
| voices, or if they did raise them they were accused | | | | some of the suggestions. The managers I am |
| of trying to undermine the authority and dignity of | | | | working with have a variety of responses: some just |
| the church and of spreading malicious rumours. People | | | | keep their heads down and hope that senior |
| who raised their allegations were often publicly vilified. | | | | management scrutiny will pass them by; others write |
| Such an enduring tale of abuse over such a long | | | | long and patient e-mails explaining why what is being |
| period of time can only be sustained by people in all | | | | proposed is unworkable or even counterproductive. |
| positions actively or passively colluding in what is | | | | Others do their best to comply with what is being |
| going on. Every day, in small ways and in large, the | | | | put forward even though this sometimes puts them |
| way these matters were discussed and acted upon | | | | in a position of having later to apologise to their |
| undermined or amplified those processes of abuse | | | | teams if the initiative proves to be unimplementable. |
| which were being suffered by children. It may not | | | | There is agreement in the group that these proposals |
| always have been clear what was going on as the | | | | are hard to resist, and that it is difficult to speak out |
| brilliant film Doubt starring Meryl Streep illustrates so | | | | against them for fear of being labelled uncooperative |
| well, but there are enough accounts in the report to | | | | or against change. There are a few brave souls who |
| make it clear that this exploitation was not only | | | | do, but these tend to be older, more experienced |
| known about but that people actively covered it | | | | colleagues who are close to retirement or who feel |
| over 'for the good of the church'. | | | | that their position within the institution is powerful, |
| In much more minor ways one can experience similar | | | | despite their rank. Being able to speak out or not |
| abusive processes taking place in organisations. | | | | becomes a judgement about one's relative power in |
| I have been working with a group of senior middle | | | | the organisation. There is another interesting |
| managers in a not-for-profit organisation where the | | | | phenomenon happening: there are one or two |
| Director has developed what she considers a 'strong | | | | colleagues who used to be senior middle managers |
| vision' for the institution which relies upon it being | | | | who have been promoted. While they would once |
| publicly perceived as being very entrepreneurial. In | | | | complain about the way they themselves have been |
| the spirit of the times it is understood to be a good | | | | treated in managerial processes, now, in public at |
| thing to be business-oriented, and the organisation | | | | least, they appear to be speaking out in support of |
| has been attracting a lot of notice for the claims that | | | | what is happening. It is almost as if the higher up the |
| it has been making. There is a good deal of both | | | | organisation they go, they more they are obliged to |
| excitement and opposition to the idealised claim to be | | | | 'play the game'. This change in attitude is dispiriting |
| entrepreneurial from different groups within the | | | | for their ex-colleagues who have watched them climb |
| institution, depending on the length of time they have | | | | the greasy pole hoping that they would make a |
| spent in the organisation, their professional | | | | difference when they got there, and of course, |
| background or their values. So, for example, some of | | | | invisible to the public eye, this might be exactly what |
| the managers in the organisation have moved from | | | | they are doing. |
| business to a different career and do not have the | | | | I am by no means making a claim of moral |
| same idealised understanding of what it means to be | | | | equivalence between the degree of abuse |
| entrepreneurial as the director and some of her | | | | experienced by hundreds of children in Ireland for |
| colleagues seem to. | | | | decades with level of what might be better termed |
| The visioning and strategy-making process has | | | | institutional bullying in contemporary organisations. The |
| spawned a whole set of organisation-wide initiatives, | | | | kind of abuse that the children in Ireland have |
| however, which are aimed at 'realising the vision'. | | | | suffered is likely to have ruined their lives. What is |
| These range from something called 'small steps for | | | | interesting to me though, is the dynamic that arises in |
| change' where departments are invited to send a | | | | organisations where the day to day relationships |
| 'champion' to a regular meeting to explain how they | | | | between people contribute to the covering over of |
| have made small steps towards being more | | | | abusive relationships because of an appeal to a higher |
| entrepreneurial, through to 'challenge meetings' where | | | | good, the good of the church or the good of an |
| senior managers are invited to given an account of | | | | idealised vision. There is a very powerful game being |
| why they have or haven't become more | | | | played which is extremely difficult for individuals to |
| entrepreneurial to a star chamber of other senior | | | | change on their own except in small ways, although |
| managers. The challenge meetings have indeed been | | | | small changes may eventually lead to large ones. Both |
| very challenging with incidents of senior managers | | | | situations have, to a greater or lesser degree, the |
| shouting at more junior managers and demanding | | | | characteristics of totalitarianism and it takes a good |
| that they justify themselves. New initiatives are | | | | deal of both detachment and courage to do |
| often followed up by quite peremptory e-mails | | | | something about it. |