Responsibility & Complicity

The late great Peter Drucker wrote a lot about management and organizations for a period of over 50 years.  Later in his career, he turned his focus to nonprofit organizations.  Noting the fact that these are often named for what they are not (e.g. nonprofit, non-government), not for what they are, he came to the conclusion that the bottom line for them is changed lives.

Changing lives involves many facets – education and health are usually the first two that come to mind. 

There are different modes as well – from giving people fish to teaching them how to fish, and on to making sure that the waters they depend on are not over-fished. 

There are different motives, too, from selfish (e.g. Japanese ODA includes a lot of road building!) to altruistic. 

Change must be holistic as well – for if you don’t change deep attitudes and superstitions, often new behaviours are only superficial.


Change agents can themselves be among the causes of social injustice – part of the problem as well as part of the solution.  The chickens come home to roost.  When we are busy as change agents, we ourselves have to be open to change.  Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Alcoholics Anonymous promotes the slogan: “If you want to change others, first change yourself.”

The story that follows captures several important themes.  Remember it next time you pass through the airport named after him!

First, that change agents cannot totally externalize the blame for what has gone wrong in the world.  They may be admirable, but they are not blameless. 

Second, that we have to give of ourselves to save others.  We are not merely brokers between donors and beneficiaries.  Taking it personally is mission-critical. 

Third, that we are too often too quick to blame the victims for their problems.  Any “situation report” or “problem analysis” needs to be reflective not just journalistic.

In 1935, on a winter night, Fiorello LaGuardia, the mayor of New York City, showed up at night court in the poorest part of the city.   He let the Judge go for the evening and he took over the bench. 



A woman in torn clothing, charged with stealing a loaf of bread, was brought to stand before LaGuardia.   She told LaGuardia that her son-in-law had deserted her extremely sick daughter, and that her grandchildren were starving.   The shopkeeper refused to drop the charges, however, saying she needed to be punished. 



LaGuardia sighed, turned to the old woman, and said, "I've got to punish you.   The law makes no exceptions.   Ten dollars or ten days in jail." 



As soon as he pronounced the sentence, however, LaGuardia took a $10 bill out of his pocket and threw it into a hat.   And he said: "Here's the $10 fine, which I now remit.   Furthermore, I'm going to fine each person 50 cents in this courtroom for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat.   Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant." 



The next day, a New York newspaper reported that $47.50 was turned over to the grandmother who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren.


Dorothy Day’s philosophy was “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable”.  Change agents have to do both.  For we all share both responsibility and complicity.


The bend in the road
Could be the end of the road
If we fail to make the turn.