Governance Gargoyles!
One of the most familiar features of European Gothic Architecture is the gargoyle. I find these grotesque visages, in which many a water spout jutting from the side of a cathedral terminates, endlessly fascinating. Designed to ward off evil spirits, they hold their apotropaic function in common with architectural features in other religious cultures, including in Hong Kong where I have lived for the last two decades – for instance, the curbed tiling on pagodas and the stone lions that stand guard outside many a building.
Gargoyles also produce a curious paradox. Some of the world’s most beautiful buildings are covered with some of the ugliest faces.
It strikes me that governance groups might often find themselves sculpting gargoyles, in a metaphorical sense. Every governance context brings its fair share of stakeholders who don’t have the best interests of the community in mind – people who suck up energy, act capriciously, and pursue their own benefit at the expense of other, often less advantaged, community members. Such people often require plenty of work from governors. The means at their disposal to do this might include applying restrictions, enforcing discipline, closing ranks, and adopting various other managerial approaches to anticipate or curb negative behaviour. In other words, governors sometimes find themselves working to the lowest common denominator. They build gargoyles to ward off the evil!
When these strategies become the dominant means through which a governing body asserts control over negative behaviour, they also affect other community members besides. Most people are fundamentally well-intentioned and trustworthy. Most people understand civic responsibility, and want the best – not just for themselves but also for their fellow human. When the governing body affixes its gargoyles to its exterior in order to ward off the evil, it also presents its ugliest facade to the faithful. The relationship between wise governors and positive, constructive community members, which might otherwise be one of great beauty, is never built.
Sometimes it is necessary to protect an organisation from negative influences, but the starting point should always be to presume positive intent. Some questions to ask in governance discussions, that may help to minimise your gargoyles, are:
- What is happening right now that is adding value within our community, and how can we spotlight and amplify this work?
- Who used to be more engaged with this organisation than they are now, and how might we reengage them?
- How can we help bridge gaps of understanding between stakeholders who may be in tension with each other?