re: #380 Simply Sarah

This entire thing with Komen is really leaving me utterly befuddled. You have an organization that has been absolutely amazing with PR for years and years, but suddenly now they seem to be doing their best to find every way possible to permanently destroy all the goodwill they’ve built up. Every single thing they do to respond to this just seems to make things worse. How, exactly, did they drop the ball so badly? Did they really not understand that taking an obviously political action against an organization like PP wouldn’t blow up in their face?

Because their (remaining) upper echelon is convinced what they are doing is right. Plus, once a decision like that is made, boards and CEOs are very hesitant to reverse themselves (barring the equivalent of a coup on the board).

My volunteer board training included a mantra that once a board made a decision (however divisive it was discussed within the board) the entire board was expected to support the decision vocally, or at least keep silent about not agreeing with it. A sort of Vegas rule in how what happened at the board meeting stayed in the board meeting. This does have an effect to stifle high-level public dissent and make a reversal unlikely, especially if the board only meets 1-2 times a year. And the CEO/ED is expected to enact the policies set by the board.