Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You're Told to Do Is Wrong

They say the rules are made to be broken. But which rules? When should you break them? And how do you do it? Ira Chaleff explores when following orders does more harm than good and what to do about it. Abu Ghraib prison. Enron. Abuse in the Catholic Church. NSA surveillance of blameless citizens. Needless deaths at Veterans Administration hospitals. These scandals could have been prevented if, early on, people had said no to their higher-ups. And why didn't they? Because, says Ira Chaleff, they didn't know how. It's much harder than it might seem. In this very timely new book, the author of the classic The Courageous Follower goes deeply into when and how to disobey orders and disagree with decisions in an intelligent, helpful, and ethical way. Chaleff took his inspiration, and the book's title, from a concept used in guide dog training. Guide dogs must be able to recognize a command that would put the human and themselves at risk of serious harm, learn how to effectively resist the command, and identify alternate safer options for achieving a legitimate goal. This is precisely what Chaleff helps human beings do. He delves into the psychological dynamics of obedience, drawing in particular on Stanley Milgram's seminal Yale experiments where volunteers were induced to administer shocks to innocent people. Using dozens of vivid examples involving major historical events and everyday situations, he offers advice on judging whether a situation calls for intelligent disobedience, how to most effectively express opposition, and how we can create a culture where, rather than "just following orders," citizens are encouraged to think about whether or not those orders actually make sense.

About the Author :
Ira Chaleff is the founder and president of Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates and chairman emeritus of the Congressional Management Foundation in Washington, DC. He is the founder of the Followership Learning Community of the International Leadership Association and has been named one of the 100 "Best Minds on Leadership" by Leadership Excellence magazine. Dave Clark is a professional narrator and audio producer with decades of recording and narration experience. His style is adaptive to the nature of the material. Dave Clark is a professional narrator and audio producer with decades of recording and narration experience. His style is adaptive to the nature of the material. Philip Zimbardo is a professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University and has also taught at Yale, Columbia, and New York University. Born in New York City, he earned his BA from Brooklyn College and his MS and PhD from Yale University. He is coauthor of Psychology and Life and the author of Shyness, which together have sold more than 2.5 million copies. Zimbardo has been president of the American Psychological Association and is now director of the Stanford Center on Interdisciplinary Policy, Education, and Research on Terrorism. He also narrated the award-winning PBS series Discovering Psychology, which he helped to create. Philip Zimbardo is a professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University and has also taught at Yale, Columbia, and New York University. Born in New York City, he earned his BA from Brooklyn College and his MS and PhD from Yale University. He is coauthor of Psychology and Life and the author of Shyness, which together have sold more than 2.5 million copies. Zimbardo has been president of the American Psychological Association and is now director of the Stanford Center on Interdisciplinary Policy, Education, and Research on Terrorism. He also narrated the award-winning PBS series Discovering Psychology, which he helped to create.