Dealing with serious concerns: catch the three wise monkeys

The immediate corporate response to concerns is typically to ignore the whistleblower. Matters are rarely investigated, and, when they are, tackling systemic deficiencies has a lower priority than finding a scapegoat. Shipman, Stafford, and Gosport are examples of the “three wise monkeys” management technique. Concerns were raised and ignored about Shipman earlier in his criminal career (hear no evil). Managers at Stafford failed …