This article is written by Marianne Tracy a consultant and practicing organizational coach. The article explores the views of Manfred Kets de Vries an organizational leadership expert. Vries is a renowned Dutch writer and scholar who employs psychoanalysis and economics knowledge in his leadership expertise (Vries 1993). The contents of this article are based on an interview the article’s author conducted on Vries concerning the dynamics of modern leadership.
The article begins by noting Vries’ views on leadership and lies. According to Vries, human beings are naturally susceptible to lies. The article notes that people lie to reinforce their independence and protect their privacy. It is noted that in an organization, the fear factor prompts people to find ways of pleasing their superiors and consequently lie to them. The author of the article reveals that Vries attributes organizational lies to family setups (Tracy 2004). An example of how mothers encourage children to hide their true feelings is used to support this assertion. The article continues by outlining how consultants can be used to break the cycle of organizational lying. The article also explores the structural weaknesses that promote dishonesty in organizations. In the subsequent section, the article explores the role of business schools in curbing dishonesty in organizations. According to the interviewed expert, the values of honesty are instilled before tertiary schooling. This makes it hard for business schools to have an impact on their graduates’ characters. The article concludes by noting that it is difficult for junior members in any organization to be completely honest with their superiors.
The article offers useful insights into the dynamics of organizational leadership. One of the most helpful insights into organizational leadership is the exploration of the subject from a psychological point of view. The interviewed expert takes time to investigate how human beings operate in regards to honesty. For instance, the article begins by exploring when human beings begin to become susceptible to lies. According to the article, lying is a “sign of independence” in human beings (Tracy 2004). This is a very insightful revelation when it comes to understanding human behavior in an organization. Another interesting assertion in this article is the one that compares the experience of being in an organization to that of being in a concentration camp. While this seems outrageous at first, the subsequent explanation makes sense in terms of organizational leadership.
This article is based on an interview the author conducted with Manfred Kets de Vries. This means that the arrangement of the article mostly depended on the author’s expertise. The author can arrange the article coherently and this makes it easy to read and synthesize. The subtitles also help the reader in understanding Vries’ point of view. In addition, the author dilutes Vries’ scholarly material into simpler terms for the benefit of the article’s readers.
Although the article brings out the subject matter clearly, the author uses too many unnecessary anecdotes in the article. This erodes the scholarly value of the article and makes it too informal. Using anecdotes is only beneficial to lay leaders but it might not appeal to the organization and leadership scholars.
Tracy’s article provides an insightful take on organizational leadership and honesty. The article can break down Vries’ scholarly claims into simpler terms. Although the article uses several informal tones, it can pass its message to the readers. Overall, the article would be beneficial to all organizational leadership stakeholders whether they operate in junior or senior positions.
References
Tracy, M 2004, ‘Contemporary issues in organizations’, Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 18. no. 6, pp. 4-6.
Vries, M 1993, Leaders, fools, and imposters, Jossey-Bass Publishers, London.