On Organizational Integrity

One sign of a defective organization is the existence of “Godfather”-like figures who operate outside of – and above – normal operating rules and lines of responsibility. Often their excuse is that part/all of the system is broken. The proper way to address such a situation is to correct the brokenness, not circumvent it on a whim. Consider a car with a bad starter. Yes, it can be jumped with a screwdriver, but a motor started that way is not fixed, is it? Of course not. Problems don’t correct themselves. Unless organizational issues are confronted and corrected, the broken behavior remains the same.