Reference no: EM133392125

Question: The business world is replete with examples of people behaving in ways they presumably knew were wrong because someone "higher up" in the organization told them to do so. Examples of such practices include these:

• Staff members at Arthur Andersen shredded documents related to the Enron debacle because their senior manager told them to.

• Crewmembers on board Royal Caribbean cruise ships dumped toxic waste into the ocean because their boss told them to.

• Managers at Firestone and Ford did not report known defects on tires that were being used on the popular Explorer model because higher-level managers told them to keep quiet.

What accounts for such practices? While there are a number of explanations, one common one is that people are often indoctrinated to believe they need to follow the chain of command and not question orders or directives from those above them in that chain. More specifically, people may come to believe that if someone higher up in their organization tells them to do something, they have little choice but to follow orders, and, in doing so, they also absolve themselves of responsibility. This tendency was powerfully demonstrated in a classic series of studies conducted by noted Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram. Milgram told subjects in an experiment that they were to administer electric shocks to another "subject" in the next room on his commands. They were also informed that each successive command would result in a more powerful shock than the previous one. As the shocks increased in intensity, the other individual began to yell and scream in pain and eventually started to beg the subject to stop. (The other individuals were actually confederates in the study and were only acting like they were getting shocked.) While many subjects became uncomfortable and some asked if the experiment could be halted, upon hearing Milgram order them to continue (because "the experiment cannot be stopped" or "you don't need to worry, I know what I'm doing"), most did so. Indeed, more than half of the subjects actually administered a shock clearly labeled as dangerous and potentially life threatening when ordered to do so.

So, what is the bottom line? Each individual has to make her or his own decisions when confronted with a situation in which their boss instructs them to do something they know or suspect to be wrong. Too much questioning or unwillingness to carry out orders can result in sanctions or even job loss, but people need to exercise some degree of self control and be willing to accept personal responsibility for their actions.

Questions for Discussion:

In what situations should subordinates go against what they are taught by questioning authority that may appear questionable?

2. In what situations should subordinates not question authority?