4.3: Government Misconduct

Albanese (2012) contends “Corruption lies at the core of virtually all major governmental problems, and ethical misconduct underlies corruption” (p.127). The misconduct can be measured in the enforcement of arbitrary laws, self-interest overriding public interest, lack of oversight, transparency, and bidding processes (Albanese, 2012). Cultural and sub-cultural philosophies may aid positively (misconduct prevention) or negatively (organizational misconduct) on this conduct. Additionally, falling prey to a group-think mentality. The term encompasses compliance and conformity to the decision making process. Originally derived from George Orwell's 1984, later researched by Irving Janis (1971) examining some of America’s well publicized blunders using the Groupthink process in decision making. Two examples is the failed Bay of Pigs invasion (1961), sponsored by the United States and the space shuttle Challenger (1986) catastrophe.

Janis developed the process incorporated in the term groupthink in groups seeking decision making consensus. Particularly those groups that agreement seeking is the prevailing factor. Groupthink has a tendency to overshadow critical thinking that ignores alternative possibilities. Janis (1971) provides seven missteps in Groupthink and these are:

• Illusions of invulnerability-creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.
• Unquestioned loyalty- belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions.
• Rationalizing warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions.
• Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, biased, spiteful, impotent, or stupid.
• Self-censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.
• Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed as agreement. Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty".
• Mindguards- self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information (p.85-88).

First in order to guard against this dynamic, leaders must insist on tell me what I need to hear; not necessarily what I want to hear theory. Second, assign a devil’ advocate that will ask the tough questions in every group. Third, encourage the questioning of the group results and process. Fourth, when a leader assigns a policy-planning scenario, he/she should remain neutral and not state a preference. The group should set up outside evaluation mechanism to test the decision and finally, test it with subgroups in the organization (Janis, 1971). Government misconduct and group misconduct may be viewed as organization culture and sub-culture and the conflicts within government also follow the sub-cultures of CJ agencies.

In some instances of police use of force, testimony, falsified evidence or other questionable police conduct may fall under the term “Noble Cause Corruption” (Pollock, 2010, p. 267). Noble Cause Corruption means that a police officer may conduct them self in a fashion considered unethical. This may be due to those criteria previously discussed. Although generally accepted as reoccurring in the police profession to this date, it has been dramatically reduced. The “Blue Wall of Silence” once contributing to further enabling of police misconduct has been reduced. Again, Sklansky (2006) attributes minority hiring (Females, African-American, Gays/Lesbians, Asian populations) into the ranks of policing as a milestone in diminishing the code of silence and noble cause corruption. Prior to the diversity in hiring, policing was primarily the “Good-Ole White Boys Club”. The noncompliance to old rules is principally due to new employees do not worship at the altar of the bargaining agreement, paying homage to the group leaders and they are not going to lose their job over something that someone else has done. The Groupthink mentality was more prevalent in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s than is current. However has it answered the sub-culture metamorphosis?