THE ORGANIZATIONAL FOOL 119pieces of satirical writing, Hasek describes the misadventures of his
seemingly idiotic hero, making fun of the decaying Austro - Hungarian
Empire and its war machine. In a certain way, Svejk stands for anybody
trapped in the cogs of bureaucracy. His idiocy is really a subterfuge for
wisdom and wit. He is a careful observer of humanity and his penetrat-
ing commentary makes others realize the absurdity of their actions. Svejk
is an excellent example of the sage – fool. Using double - talk and the literal
execution of orders, he demonstrates the foolishness of many rules and
regulations. Through his behavior and actions he brings fi gures of
authority down to size, having an uncanny ability to deal with any
superior. He becomes the perfect antidote to hubris.
The role of the sage – fool in organizational life can be taken either
by a person within the organization or by an outsider. In general, it is
more diffi cult for an insider to take on the role, as the risks tend to be
greater. The king ’ s fool had to be careful not to go too far and forfeit
his life, and the organizational fool has similarly to tread gently: dealing
with highly sensitive material and telling it how it is can be prejudicial
to career advancement. Whistle - blowing (standing up to fi gures of
authority in an organization, for example, objecting to unethical or
illegal practices), usually spells a bad end for the individual who initiates
the process.
When I realized what was happening, I was furious. It wasn ’ t illegal, it
wasn ’ t criminal, it was irresponsible. Every day the papers wrote about
cutbacks in funding [the service], nearly every day I got reminders about
cost savings, and here were resources being mismanaged and squandered
so obviously it was beyond belief. I went to my superiors but it was like
talking to a brick wall. So I went to the papers myself. I didn ’ t have much
to lose, I was down for early retirement, but I did it anonymously anyway.
All hell was let loose, somehow they found out who I was, I had the press
and TV outside my house, and at work the atmosphere was unbearable.
And in the end nothing happened. It was a fi ve - minute wonder for the
press. It all got lost in the bureaucratic mess of the service. (Interview with
public service worker, UK)When communication is blocked within an organization, or when an
individual feels isolated and without support, it is tempting to turn to
outside entities, such as the media, to air grievances. It is virtually impos-
sible for the individual to escape the resulting fallout and hostility from
all sides, especially as an organization exposed in this manner is hardly
likely to provide the support and protection that the whistle - blower
needs — the lack of which probably precipitated the action in the fi rst
place. The painful irony for whistle - blowers is that their personal integ-
rity and trustworthiness, which motivate their actions, are put into