TORC

Russell Crowe as whistleblower, Jeffrey Wigand, in The Insider movie

Independence of thought and the ability to challenge the status quo figure prominently  in the list of ‘wants’, in many a workplace competency framework.

Yet, judging by the general  level of ill-tolerance meted out to dissenters,  it largely appears to be more honoured in the breach than the observance.

How come there is this disparity between aspiration & reality, you may ask.

Well for one thing, the power of the collective is enormous; making it always more comforting to fit in, rather than rock the boat.

Getting the cold shoulder for dissent is bad enough, but when this dissent threatens one’s job tenure – that’s usually, when even the most committed throw in the towel. 

The Jeffrey Wigand story, as told in the The Insider movie, is revealing here in two important aspects: (1) in how an organisation’s immune system can be so misguided in the way it reacts and  (2) in detailing the psychological stresses that can weigh on the dissenter.

Of course, the importance of a dissenter, is not  limited to the workplace. It also plays out on the wider stage of life as well.

One recalls a pair of courtroom-based movies, starring Spencer Tracy, where this dissenter theme is very much to the fore in the reenactment of two very significant historical cases from the 20th century: Judgment at Nuremburg & Inherit The Wind.

The former concentrates on a key defendant, Ernst Janning, an internationally lauded jurist & drafter of the Weimar constitution, who though vehemently opposed to Hitler & Nazism, still chooses to stay on the bench during the reign of the Third Reich. It highlights the dangers of compromise – and the slippery slope it often begets.

The latter, based on the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, has less harrowing, if equally profound, consequences. It describes how an ordinary teacher stands his ground in teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a high school  science class, in defiance of Tennesse State Law.

Both touch on the important issue of independence of thought versus groupthink or mind control.

One is about the right to think different; the other is about the consequences of appeasement.

The recent garda whistleblower discourse makes this a live issue for many an organisation to countenance – in terms of how to manage the tension between the roles of dissenter and team player.

The trick, of course, is to inculcate a culture that ensures both competencies can productively co-exist.

As Jeffrey Wigand points out in the movie, this demands a level of leadership intelligence –  along the lines displayed by legendary Johnson & Johnson CEO, James Burke, in response to the Tylenol tampering issue.

This is the same kind of intelligence that Benjamin Franklin defined as: “the ability to keep two conflicting thoughts in mind at the one time”.

In other words: emotional intelligence.

PS1. For related Torc articles, please click on the following links: 
1. Emotional Intelligence Personified
2. Emotional Intelligence: Smarts, Humour & Pluck
3. Prejudice, emotion & Bias 
4. Core Values & Decision-Making

PS2. For related Torc training programmes, please click on the following links:
1. Leading with Emotional Intelligence
2. Leading with Teamwork & Collaboration
3. Leading with Empathy & Listening
4. The Leader as Teacher