Hendy, Jane and Tucker, Danielle (2021) Public Sector Organizational Failure: A study of collective denial in the UK National Health Service. Journal of Business Ethics, Online (4). pp. 1-16. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04517-1 (In Press)
Hendy, Jane and Tucker, Danielle (2021) Public Sector Organizational Failure: A study of collective denial in the UK National Health Service. Journal of Business Ethics, Online (4). pp. 1-16. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04517-1 (In Press)
Hendy, Jane and Tucker, Danielle (2021) Public Sector Organizational Failure: A study of collective denial in the UK National Health Service. Journal of Business Ethics, Online (4). pp. 1-16. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04517-1 (In Press)
Abstract
This paper argues that public sector organizational failure may be best understood from a perspective of collective denial. The rise of this phenomenon is examined using testimony from a Public Inquiry into the downfall of a UK hospital, where falling organizational standards led to unethical decision making and an unacceptable number of patient deaths. In this paper we show how collective denial, over time, became a process that resided within the fabric of organizational life. To explore the organizational processes associated with collective denial, and how and why it occurs, we identify the influence of a ‘narrative of silence’. This narrative allows ever more serious failings to be justified as organizational members lose contact with reality entering a downward spiral with no recovery. The combined impact of assumptions about leadership capability, enculturated professional identities and organizational loyalty create an environment where a narrative of silence can develop.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | public sector; organisational failure; denial; collective denial; silence; narrative; hubris; UK NHS |
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Essex Business School |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 22 Apr 2020 14:11 |
Last Modified: | 30 Oct 2024 16:22 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/27351 |
Available files
Filename: Collective denial paper_repository version.pdf