re:Roguism
Major Tony T. Kern, 472-4727 (KernTT.DFH.USAFA_at_usafa.af.mil)
Tue, 19 Aug 97 7:33:57 MDT
Colleagues
This discussion has given me cause to blow the dust off some of my
early case studies on rogues and take a fresh look things I might have
missed. I think I was beginning to understand how rogues fooled the
bosses, but I was perplexed as to how rogues were able to get so many
"groupies" around them, ones who could see them for what they were --
undisciplined.
One element that I found anew was a universal tendency of these men to
feel somehow unnecessarily "bound" or "restricted" by the system. Typical
rogues were able to sell this "victim mentality" to peers and
subordinates, creating a clandestine cult of "victims of the system" who
were now released from personal responsibility for following what they
felt were inappropriately restrictive rules. This tracks with societal
trends in general, which makes it doubly dangerous and something worth
taking note of.
This may be the most devastating finding so far. The social influence
of the rogue extending out to infect others who are primed to accept this
argument because of shifting tends in society at large. But there seems
to be a natural organizational response. We can and should talk about the
rationale for the rules and regulations under which we operate. I think
that this is appropriate content for CRM. Even if we don't decide to add
this into our existing courseware, which is already pretty crammed, we
MUST guard against the tendency to join in the "policy-bashing"
discussions that often take place in seminars of senior aviators. Just
like an instructor who apologizes for the textbook on the first day of
class, if we as facilitators downplay the importance of this or that
regulation, policy, or procedure, we have set the table for the rogue to
feast.
Any thoughts?
Tony K.