OL 500 Final
Organizational Behavior in the Case of the Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal
OL-500 Human Behavior in Organization
Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Doug Hood
May15, 2014
In 2012, “former Penn State defensive coordinator Gerald “Jerry" Sandusky was found guilty of sexual abuse. He was accused of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period in a scandal that has rocked the university 's community” (Chappell, 2012, para. 1). When the story of Jerry Sandusky broke to the press, the University board believed the investigation currently underway at their university was solely concerning Jerry Sandusky, but unbeknownst to them, the organizational breakdown of Penn State was involved in the investigation as well. The investigation analyzed documents and conversations from Penn State’s leaders that spanned from 1998 to 2011. What came to light was that Sandusky, a renowned alumni of 32 years, ex-Penn State football coach, and an active member in youth charity programs, had been sexually harassing minors on and off university property. In addition, at various points during this time frame, leaders in various positions within Penn State’s organization knew of these accounts and did nothing about it. This report aims to focus on how the organizational culture as well as the breakdown in leadership responsibilities, aided in the allowance of such acts to continue at the university over the course of many years. In addition, it will target key solutions to prevent this type of tragedy and leadership oversight from happening again on Penn State campus.
To fully understand how the organizational breakdown of Penn State University occurred, it is first important to understand the Universities organizational structure, its mission, the influence of the Athletic Department, and the key leadership roles and responsibilities of those involved. Penn State University was founded in 1855 and is governed by a Board of Trustees. According to Penn State University
OL-500 Human Behavior in Organization
Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Doug Hood
May15, 2014
In 2012, “former Penn State defensive coordinator Gerald “Jerry" Sandusky was found guilty of sexual abuse. He was accused of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period in a scandal that has rocked the university 's community” (Chappell, 2012, para. 1). When the story of Jerry Sandusky broke to the press, the University board believed the investigation currently underway at their university was solely concerning Jerry Sandusky, but unbeknownst to them, the organizational breakdown of Penn State was involved in the investigation as well. The investigation analyzed documents and conversations from Penn State’s leaders that spanned from 1998 to 2011. What came to light was that Sandusky, a renowned alumni of 32 years, ex-Penn State football coach, and an active member in youth charity programs, had been sexually harassing minors on and off university property. In addition, at various points during this time frame, leaders in various positions within Penn State’s organization knew of these accounts and did nothing about it. This report aims to focus on how the organizational culture as well as the breakdown in leadership responsibilities, aided in the allowance of such acts to continue at the university over the course of many years. In addition, it will target key solutions to prevent this type of tragedy and leadership oversight from happening again on Penn State campus.
To fully understand how the organizational breakdown of Penn State University occurred, it is first important to understand the Universities organizational structure, its mission, the influence of the Athletic Department, and the key leadership roles and responsibilities of those involved. Penn State University was founded in 1855 and is governed by a Board of Trustees. According to Penn State University
References: Andersen, S. (2012). Lessons from the penn state scandal. Inside Counsel, n/a. Retrieved http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/929160235?accountid=3783 Bauer T., & Erdogan, B. (2012). Organizational Behavior. Irving, NY: Flat World Knowledge, Inc. Cooky, C. (2012, May 17). Success without honor: Cultures of silence and the Penn Statscandal. Sage Journals. Retrieved May 15, 2015 http://csc.sagepub.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/content/12/4/326.full.pdf+html Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP Hechinger, J., & Eichelberger, C. (2011, Nov 21). The halo effect: Lessons from penn state. Business Week, Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/905988430?accountid=3783 Johnson, K., & Mary, B Kane, C. (2012, Jul 24). Penn state abuse scandal NCAA lowers the boom. Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved February 17, 2013 from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1027633525?accountid=3783 Penn State University (2013) Sydnor, S. (2012, May 21). Cultural anthropology of the Penn State tragedy. Sage Journals. Retrieved February 17, 2013, from http://csc.sagepub.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/content/12/4/333