THE ORGANIZATIONAL FOOL 121portfolio in the part. With certain skills of dramatization, a less senior
manager may occasionally play the organizational fool. Some organiza-
tions may actually prefer to have someone at a less elevated level, a Mr.
Everyman, or Svejk, in the part.
In general, however, it is easier for an outsider to assume such a
diffi cult role as the worst that can happen when the feedback becomes
too disturbing is a prematurely terminated consultancy relationship.
Indeed, the role of the external adviser and that of the fool seem to be
made for each other. By playing dumb and asking seemingly na ï ve ques-
tions, the consultant can further the understanding of a particular organ-
izational problem and take on the role of the agent for change. Here
humor can be of great use, particularly when testing options and making
recommendations.
Sometimes a CEO will recognize the need for regular input from
external opinion in order to keep in touch with reality. The French
fi nancier, entrepreneur, and politician Bernard Tapie identifi ed this as a
principle of his leadership. In his autobiography, Gagner ( Winning ), he
wrote:
Even the most intelligent and shrewd of leaders surround themselves with
people who surrender their individuality and spirit of opposition when
face to face with their boss ... They say nothing, even when they see the
leader leading the company astray, because they don ’ t dare to ... A great
leader will of his own volition institute a culture of deliberate irresponsi-
bility. For me, frank discussion and what I call creative tension are abso-
lutely fundamental. For this reason I have a network of friends whom I
consult just as much as I consult my team. They are journalists, business-
men, a mixture of very different people who are completely independent
of me, who aren ’ t my employees, and who will tell me where to get
off — and that ’ s crucial. If you haven ’ t got people around who ’ ll tell you
when to take a running jump, you ’ re not a proper boss ...
In order to choose the right sort of people to have around, the sort
who also want to be ‘ winners, ’ you have to know yourself; to be open to
contradictory opinions, to be able to work out where your own strengths
and weaknesses lie. (1986, pp. 126 – 127)In one company in the automotive supply business, the role of the
sage – fool was played by the vice - president for manufacturing and opera-
tions. This individual, a self - made man who had risen through the pro-
duction route, was intimately familiar with the internal processes of the
organization. He was extremely effective in his job and highly respected
because of his pragmatism. Given his background and the fact that the
company was very marketing - driven, he had risen as far as he could.
That did not seem to worry him, however, as he obviously liked the
position he was in. Since he posed no direct threat to any of the other