Idiots, Arrogance & Heroism

Politics aside, I was astounded to read that some supporters of Herman Cain think sexual harassment laws make men afraid to tell  jokes at work, and even call the whole concept into question.  Those kind of comments from prominent people are so 1990s.  Makes me question how much workplace progress we've made in 20 years.  (Yes, John, there is a sexual harassment problem -- USATODAY, 11/11/11).

Recent news about  Penn State  makes me think not only of the Roman Catholic Church scandal, but again, of how little progress we've made in the last 20 years.  In their excellent 1992 book, Corporate Culture and Performance, Kotter and Heskett asserted that arrogance is often the downfall of successful organizations.  They posited that having a dominant market position can easily lead to insular, political management behavior and idiosyncratic traditions that are reinforced by people at the top.  I think these authors have  at least two new case studies for a revised edition!

Let's all support victims who come forward; to the families; friends and colleagues who support them; to the psychologists and mandated reporters who start the process rollling; and to law efforcers like the Governor of PA, who don't flinch in the face of powerful, entrenched entities.