The Tragedy of Organizations Is the Tragedy of Society and a Crisis of Culture

Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

The tragedy of organizations is manifested in corruption, deception, forgery, distortion of facts, pressure, circumvention of established regulations and procedures, and hypocrisy.

The organization, or the institution, is the backbone of modern society. It is an organized entity whose purpose is to serve the public interest through clear rules and transparent procedures. But when organizations are afflicted by corruption, deception, and falsification of facts, they are transformed from instruments of development into burdens on society because of the waste generated by corruption. This affliction is not a passing individual error; rather, it is a systemic deviation that strikes at three fundamental pillars: integrity, efficiency, and trust.

First: Manifestations of Organizational Dysfunction

1. Administrative and financial corruption:
This is the exploitation of public office for private gain. It includes bribery, favoritism, and the embezzlement of public funds. According to the “principal-agent” model in management, corruption occurs when the interests of the employee, the “agent,” conflict with those of the public, the “principal,” in the absence of effective oversight mechanisms.

2. Deception and falsification of facts:
This takes the form of manipulating data, falsifying reports, and embellishing fictitious achievements. This type of corruption is even more dangerous because it attacks the “organizational memory.” When decisions are based on false information, all subsequent policies become flawed.

3. Circumventing regulations and exerting illegitimate pressure:
This means bypassing laws and regulations under the pretext of “necessity” or “exceptional circumstances.” It is often accompanied by organizational hypocrisy: a double discourse whereby an organization publicly proclaims its commitment to certain values while secretly practicing the opposite.

Second: Root Causes

From the perspective of organizational sociology, corruption does not arise in a vacuum. Rather, it rests on three main foundations:

1. Weak governance:
The absence of separation of powers, the concentration of decision-making in the hands of one person, and the lack of independent external auditing.

2. A culture of impunity:
When there is no genuine accountability, wrongdoing gradually becomes “normal,” and individuals begin to adapt themselves to deviant practices.

3. A crisis of values:
This occurs when private interest takes precedence over the public good, and when the logic of manipulation and cunning prevails over the rule of law. In such a context, hypocrisy becomes a survival skill within a corrupt system.

Third: Destructive Consequences

1. At the economic level:
The waste of resources, the discouragement of investment, and increased transaction costs. The World Bank estimates that corruption costs the global economy approximately 5% of global GDP annually.

2. At the social level:
The collapse of trust between citizens and the state. Citizens who feel they are being treated unjustly resort to personal connections and favoritism instead of the law, thereby deepening corruption in a vicious cycle.

3. At the organizational level:
The death of innovation. Competent employees withdraw, while the “hypocrite” who masters the game of interests remains. The organization is gradually reduced to an empty shell and an arena for the exchange of favors.

Fourth: Means of Treatment and Prevention

The solution does not lie in slogans, but in building an “anti-corruption system” based on four pillars:

1. Transparency:
Making information and data available to the public. As Justice Louis D. Brandeis famously said, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” Publishing budgets and tender procedures helps prevent falsification and manipulation.

2. Accountability:
The existence of independent oversight bodies and an impartial judiciary. The principle is simple: “No one is above the law.”

3. Building an organizational culture:
This can be achieved through codes of conduct, integrity training, and recognition of positive role models. A successful organization combats hypocrisy by rewarding honesty, even when the truth is painful.

4. Empowering society:
The media, civil society, and employees themselves all have a role to play, particularly through whistleblowing. Without societal pressure, reforms remain largely cosmetic.

Fifth: The Fate of “Reformers” Within Corrupt Organizations

In every organization afflicted by corruption and deception, there emerges a rare type of official: the “internal reformer,” or the person who represents the organizational conscience. This is the person who refuses to sign falsified documents, refuses to approve an unlawful transaction, and asks, “Why are we bypassing the rules?”

But the more important question is:

What happens to such a person inside a corrupt system?

The suffering of a transparent and honest official inside an organization whose fate and direction are controlled by a corrupt clique usually unfolds through the following stages:

1. Stages of pressure and subjugation

A corrupt system does not initially confront the reformer directly. Instead, it uses a gradual series of pressures:

·  Isolation: The person is ignored in meetings, information is withheld, and he or she is excluded from decision-making. The objective is: “Make this person feel like an outsider.”

·  Temptation: The person may be offered a better position, a financial reward, or a “share” in exchange for silence. The underlying logic is: “Everyone takes something, so why are you different?”

·  Intimidation: Subtle threats begin to appear: “Think about your future,” “This is not your role,” or “You will lose everyone.” Powerful figures may summon the person for so-called “advisory sessions.”

2. Tools of blackmail and humiliation

If temptation and intimidation fail, the system moves to open warfare.

· Blackmail: The person’s record is searched for any old or minor mistake: lateness, absence, a signature, or an administrative error. The message becomes: “Either you remain silent, or we reopen this file.”

· Public humiliation: The reformer is blamed for failures he or she did not cause. False information is leaked. The person is portrayed as “difficult,” “uncooperative,” or as someone who “does not understand reality.” The objective is to destroy the individual’s credibility among colleagues through character assassination and defamation.

· Entrapment: The person may be asked to sign what appears to be an “ordinary” transaction, when in reality it is a legal trap. If the person later objects, he or she is told: “But you signed before.”

During the 1990s, I coined a new concept to describe the pressures and methods used by corrupt actors: “istisraq” (Entrapment of others in theft), a term referring to deliberately implicating someone in corruption or theft so that the person is drawn into the circle of corrupt individuals and becomes one of them.

3. The final outcome: soft removal

The ultimate objective is not always outright dismissal, because that can attract unwanted attention. Instead, the preferred method is “soft removal,” which may include:

· Arbitrary transfer: Moving the person to a marginal department with no real authority and no staff — effectively a “promotion to the freezer.”

· Blocking promotion: The person remains in the same position for years despite proven competence, while less competent colleagues are promoted.

· Forced resignation: After months of psychological pressure and isolation, the person finds himself or herself compelled to resign “voluntarily” in order to preserve personal dignity.

· The result: The organization gets rid of the “voice of truth” at minimal cost while sending a message to all other employees: “Whoever stands against the current will be broken.”

4. Why does the individual reformer fail?

Because the reformer fights with the weapon of ethics while confronting the weapon of an entire system. The corrupt system is cohesive, has a network of interests, and understands the rules of the game. The reformer, by contrast, is often alone, without legal protection or administrative support.

In conclusion, we must emphasize that organizational corruption and deception are not inevitable. They are the product of cumulative choices. Every time a regulation is bypassed or a fact is distorted without consequence, the space available for misconduct expands.

Organizations are not reformed by good individuals alone, but through systems that make it difficult for wrongdoers to corrupt and easier for upright people to succeed.

Remember: when trust in an organization dies, it is not merely a building that dies. The very idea of the organization itself dies.

The question we must urgently ask is:

What kind of organizations do we want to leave to future generations?

Integrity therefore cannot be protected by courageous individuals alone. There must be a system for whistleblower protection: laws that criminalize retaliation, independent bodies to which officials can turn, and an administrative culture that rewards those who say “no” rather than punishing them.

Without such safeguards, organizations will continue to expel their own conscience and then complain about corruption. They become like children who destroy their own toys and then cry for new ones.