Chernobyl – When Power is Weakness | Rose Scholars Fall 2020

While watching episode 2 of the Chernobyl series, I was intrigued by the interplay of power dynamics between authority figures and fact-driven scientists and how this might affect organizations and societies at large.

During the episode, scientists Ulana Khomyuk and Valery Legasov repeatedly attempt to incisively convey the severity of the explosion at Chernobyl to authority. However, action is only implemented when there is no other choice. This interplay reminded me of the downsides of rigid organizational structures, a topic I recently covered in my Human Resources class. Namely, these structures can cause poor communication, and individuals often take actions that are inconsistent with benefiting the overarching goals of an organization.

And while I think the Chernobyl power-dynamic issues run deeper than organization structure, episode 2 reminded me that sometimes powerful systems meant to provide strength are instead a source of weakness. This is something that I think is reflected both by the events surrounding the Chernobyl crisis and even perhaps by the events our society is currently experiencing concerning the, in some ways organizationally comparable, Covid crisis.