Posted by
Nathan Krekula on Friday, October 03, 2008 10:00:00
Welcome to today’s class on the Power Corruption Cycle. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” (Afsaneh Nahavandi). Throughout time we have seen great leaders and horrible leaders blaze across our history in both the economic and political sectors. Take some time to think about some leaders that you feel have made a major impact on history and our day-to-day lives. Many of you will have thought of people like Lido Anthony Iacocca, Adolph Hitler, Ronald Regan, George Bush, Caesar, Cleopatra, Martin Luther King, Jr, Theodore Roosevelt, Saddam Hussein, Margaret Thatcher and Alan Greenspan. This list could go on forever and still we could think of more men and women who have lead and changed the world for right or for wrong.
Now I want you to think why these men or women have entered into your thoughts? What makes a good leader and what can cause a leader to make bad decisions or to become corrupt? The key is power. Power can cause a leader to become corrupt and absolute power corrupts a leader absolutely.(Afsaneh Nahavandi). When looking at leaders of today one very corrupt leader comes to mind, Saddam Hussein. April 28, 1937, was to be the birth date of Saddam Hussein to a poor landless peasant family in the village of Ouja. (The Iraq Foundation). He would soon rise to become one of the world’s most noted leaders. On July 16, 1979, Saddam Hussein was sworn in as President of the Republic of Iraq. (The Iraq Foundation). In the years leading up to his presidency, his party, the Ba'thists, worked to remove all opposition. This would affectively give him power and authority over a nation without any checks and balances.
Power without accountability can and will lead to negative and catastrophic consequences. This is the first step in the power corruption cycle.
Power corruption cycle. (Afsaneh Nahavandi).
- Power with access to resources without accountability
- Distance from employees
- Inflated view
- Employee Reactions: Compliance and flattery, Submissive behaviors and dependence.
- Consequences: Poor decisions, Coercion, Low opinion of employees, Ethical violations, more distance.
Saddam formed an inflated view during the distancing phase when he enforced many years of purges to remove opposition. With his absolute and unchecked power growing the people of the nation moved to compliance and flattery. With the nation in full submission and totally dependant on the government, Saddam moved to the last phase or the consequence phase. March 1974 The Kurdish towns of Zakho and Qala'at Diza are razed to the ground. 8,000 Kurds disappear from the village of Barzan. (The Iraq Foundation). Through the years leading up to the Gulf War and the present day war there would be countless murders and mass deportations of any that opposed the views and leadership of President Hussein.
In conclusion leadership without accountability will soon be corrupt and will cause series of consequences. It is the position of leadership that will determine the depth of these consequences. A manager of a small store may cause the loss of profits and a leader of a nation may cause the deaths of countless thousands. From this we have learned that the cycle of corruption begins to test the leader’s character and the resolve of a people.
Sources:
Nahavandi, A. (2003). The Art and Science of Leadership, Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall Pearson Education, Inc.
The Iraq Foundation. (2002). Biography of Saddam Hussein of Tikrit. Retrieved 02/25/05 from, http://www.iraqfoundation.org/research/bio.html