Leadership: Leaders, Followers, Environments

External checks and balances

Checks and balances might be internal or external to an organization or group. The difference has to do with whether the “watchdog” or restraining mechanism is part of the organizational structure or outside it. This section focuses on three external checks and balances that apply to many organizations and settings:

• The media
• Experts and expert field
• Government agencies

This is followed by an examination of internal checks and balances. The backdrop of the financial crisis and related scandals during 2008 in the U.S. and Europe provide a helpful basis for a discussion of checks and balances.

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Penn State's checks and balances

The tragic Penn State University child rape and molestation scandal illustrates how centralization of power and an absence of checks and balances might lead to toxic consequences. As widely reported in the media, the former defensive football coach at Penn State, Jerry Sandusky, was convicted in June of 2012 of sexually abusing 10 young boys over a 15-year period. The story mushroomed when it was revealed that university officers, including the president, the athletic director, and the head football coach, did nothing or perhaps even covered it up. The football coach, Joe Paterno, had persisted on remaining as head coach beyond normal retirement age so that he could break Eddie Robinson's record for the most ...