Sometimes the system demands not results, but submission.
A leader, trying to do the right thing, included the entire team in the bonus list — because those who didn't work on the project directly took on the load of other tasks. But from above, this was seen as an attempt to "cheat the system."
Under threat of termination, he was forced to write a confession letter. Not because he was wrong — but because he acted outside the ritual.
The Mechanics
A person acts according to conscience, but outside formal frameworks.
Power sees this as a challenge to procedure, not care for people.
Admission of guilt becomes an act of system purification, not error correction.
Common sense is nullified. In its place: fear and submission.
The Symptom
After such episodes, leaders stop deciding — they start guessing. Fear of getting the form wrong replaces striving to get the substance right.
The system loses initiative. Only executors remain — those afraid of looking wrong. Submission ≠ loyalty.
the system isn't learning — it's controlling.