MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE: ORGANIZATION DYSFUNCTION - PAEDOPRIESTS

Over the past thirty years, stories have appeared in the news media regarding paedopriests (paedophile priests) in the Roman Catholic Church, who abuse children. More recently, the stories have detailed serious problems in Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands. This terrible situation is a casebook study of how organizations, any organization, handles very difficult problems. Some business pundits refer to organizational response of major public relations problems as damage control.

No organization, whether religious, governmental, or business, can afford to have bad or negative publicity. Even individuals have problems that need damage control, notably Tiger Woods, the Golfer, and John Terry, the soccer player. The long-term effect of proper damage control is revealed only in future results. Tiger Woods problems cost him millions and millions of dollars in product endorsements. John Terry lost the Captaincy of the English Men's Soccer Team. These two individuals declared their guilt and acted in a manner to assure fans and retain their following.

But what response and effect has the recent scandal had on one of the largest organization in the world, the Roman Catholic Church? The response has been very slow for the victims and followers. Mostly the Church has acted by covering up the abuse. The Church appears to be in denial. Can any organization deny proved and known problems? The problems won't just disappear, magically, do they?

Recently, the leader of the organization, the Pope, has sent a Papal letter to the Irish Catholics asking for forgiveness. Acknowledging the problem is the first step in damage control. The Pope goes on to ask the faithful to forgive the perpetrators. Fine. However, the letter fails to address the long-term problems and the solutions. The letter fails to deal with prevention of these problems in the future.

The Consumers (the Faithful) want action. They want the people who caused the problems to be dealt with and punished. In a corporate environment, the employees would be terminated and turned over to the proper authorities for criminal prosecution. The corporation would take further steps by establishing new rules and procedures to prevent future wrongdoing and protect employees.

How has the mega-organization, the Roman Church, dealt with the wrongdoers? What rules have been changed to protect people and children in the future? To date, there has been silence and worse, a cover-up. Burying the organization's head in the sand is not a solution. The problem won't disappear.

The leadership needs to move quickly. The perpetrators must be dealt with. The people who engaged in the cover-up must also be punished. Rules and procedures must be put in place to prevent wrongdoing in the future.

The bottomline is: Can any organization afford to let a horrible problem like this continue? The Consumers (the Faithful) will demand change or they will find other products (religions) to use or follow.

An effective leader must be decisive and strong and do the right thing. They must solve the problem, now. That is what effective management is all about. The organization needs credibility.