Unable to imagine the absence of water, the fish cannot consider the presence of water. Paternalism is the water of organizations. Paternalism is a system of belief based on control, consistency, and predictability suggestive of a parent-child relationship. In paternalistic organizations the leaders are responsible for the success of the organization and the well-being of its members. The reality of many organizations reflects the desire to preserve the old forms of power and control by those invested in them even as they speak of change.
Paternalism drives conformity, compliance, competition, and is a game played against the players.
Those who deviate from the rules are a threat to past winners of the game and are neutralized and often expelled from the enterprise. Deviancy is the essence of life. A repetitive reliving of the past invites decline and death. Because we cannot see what we cannot see, many attempts to transform organizations reenact the same set of beliefs that created the need for change in the first place. Patriarchy will use a mixture of consistency, control, and predictability to introduce the ideas of empowerment, partnership, and self-management.