Corruption - A social disease (Part 117): The dissolving phase of corruption – changing the context
Since the beginning of this weekly column, articles have focused on containing corruption. If the overall corruption trend is not increasing, and the corruption problem has been stabilised, dissolving can start.
Dissolving focuses on changing the environment/context so that preventative and good governance conditions can be created within a transparent legal and administrative environment for enabling lasting transformation.
Where containing focuses mainly on hard/formal or structural, short-term and tactical-operational strategies (e.g. increasing policing and putting culprits in jail), dissolving focuses mainly on soft, long-term, strategic/prospective strategies. Dissolving strategies are more holistic and/or systemic in nature than containing strategies, because it is all inclusive and create the context for change in terms of world views (e.g. best practices), paradigms (a new way of thinking and behaviour supported by underlying theories, e.g. the global trend of increased transparency) and universal values (e.g. sustainability and universality).
THE DANGER OF RIGIDITY
In progressing towards changing corrupt societies (Meadows), strategies become increasingly more specific, mechanistic and linear (e.g. mathematical). Such mechanistic strategies do not take account of its overall impact on the whole system and society.
Mechanistic strategies increase the complexity of how to control corruption. In an attempt to change the corrupt Namibian system such strategies can become counterproductive. The reason is that such mechanistic and/or rigid strategies create and stimulate the environment/context for corruption.
For example, increased rules and regulations to control corruption can contribute to more corruption, because those in charge of such rules and regulations are being bribed to make the system more efficient. The system also becomes too complicated to manage.
This is one reason why visionary, transformational and moral leadership is of such vital importance to change the environment/context of corruption and provide people with inspiration and hope for a better future. Other strategies can at most be supportive.
• References
Meadows, D.H. 2009. Whole Earth. Places to Intervene in a System. Published during 1997.
[email protected]
Dissolving focuses on changing the environment/context so that preventative and good governance conditions can be created within a transparent legal and administrative environment for enabling lasting transformation.
Where containing focuses mainly on hard/formal or structural, short-term and tactical-operational strategies (e.g. increasing policing and putting culprits in jail), dissolving focuses mainly on soft, long-term, strategic/prospective strategies. Dissolving strategies are more holistic and/or systemic in nature than containing strategies, because it is all inclusive and create the context for change in terms of world views (e.g. best practices), paradigms (a new way of thinking and behaviour supported by underlying theories, e.g. the global trend of increased transparency) and universal values (e.g. sustainability and universality).
THE DANGER OF RIGIDITY
In progressing towards changing corrupt societies (Meadows), strategies become increasingly more specific, mechanistic and linear (e.g. mathematical). Such mechanistic strategies do not take account of its overall impact on the whole system and society.
Mechanistic strategies increase the complexity of how to control corruption. In an attempt to change the corrupt Namibian system such strategies can become counterproductive. The reason is that such mechanistic and/or rigid strategies create and stimulate the environment/context for corruption.
For example, increased rules and regulations to control corruption can contribute to more corruption, because those in charge of such rules and regulations are being bribed to make the system more efficient. The system also becomes too complicated to manage.
This is one reason why visionary, transformational and moral leadership is of such vital importance to change the environment/context of corruption and provide people with inspiration and hope for a better future. Other strategies can at most be supportive.
• References
Meadows, D.H. 2009. Whole Earth. Places to Intervene in a System. Published during 1997.
[email protected]
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