The Old Boys Club vs. the Young Boys 0

Some years ago, the fashion amongst management consultants was to prattle on about “corporate culture.” That fashion, or at least the terminology, has likely changed–management consulting is the damndest profession for putting old wine in new bottles (while doubling the price) that I’ve ever seen–but the concept is valid: organizations do have cultures.

At Philly dot com, Rod Napier considers corporate culture, pederasty, and prelates:

Two iconic Pennsylvania figures, Joe Paterno and Anthony Bevilacqua, passed away this year. Both the longtime Penn State football coach and the former archbishop of Philadelphia had remarkable careers of public service and achievement that ended in scandal – scandals that will forever shadow their legacies. Both men saw themselves as close to God, but both were also treated as gods by those around them. And that may have had more to do with the scandals than has so far been appreciated.

(snip)

The cultures of their respective organizations – cultures they tolerated, if not outright fostered or even demanded – probably tended to discourage the people around them from plainly stating the most unpleasant truths at hand. The most likely scenario is that these men never heard the completely unvarnished truth, because they created or tolerated cultures that did not encourage people to tell them difficult truths.

He certainly has part of the story.

The other part is that, despite evidence before them, “leaders” in these situations usually don’t want to know the truth. They convince themselves that, as long as the cash, converts, and bowl bids roll in, they convince themselves that everything is just hunky-dory, much like the spouse who refuses to notice the affair that is the buzz of the town.

Mr. Napier may explain some of their behavior, but explanation is not excuse.