It sounds like a torture technic used by some despicable totalitarian regime. In fact it was a phrase used to describe holding an organisation and its leadership accountable. It certainly conveys pain, fear and extreme reluctance. Are some organisation really so resistant to being open and accountable so fearful of the consequences that getting the truth out of them requires extreme measures? Certainly there have been some high profile cases in NHS Trusts and a number of police forces were the leadership appears to have taken the view that the truth - admission of incompetence, discrimination and serious malpractice- would undermine public confidence in the organisation which would make it extremely difficult to operate effectively so the priority for the leadership is to protect the image and reputation of the organisation at all costs. Even at the expense of employee safety and gross mismanagement. The fact that we know of these cases means the cover up didn’t work. Never the less there remains a suspicion that this is just the tip of the iceberg. That whilst not as extreme as these media highlighted cases there is a tendency for organisations and their leadership to cover up their short comings and avoid accountability.
Which organisation do you have more confidence in the one that responds to findings of bullying, discrimination and misogyny by saying it’s just a few bad apples or the one that says we have a problem with the culture of the organisation which requires better leadership, closer supervision and higher standards of recruitment? So it should be obvious that openness is the best , maybe the only way, to effectively deal with deep seated problems in organisations. That openness will ultimately inspire more confidence than secrecy. And yet the tendency to hid uncomfortable information is the first reaction of many leaders unless of course they are newly arrived with a brief to clean house! Which is why some commentators when talking about openness and accountability use extreme language such as ” holding feet to the fire.”
Blair Mcpherson former director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
