Day 146 in MIT Sloan Fellows Class 2023, Choice point 8 "In a Penal Colony"
Story
"In the Penal Colony," a short story by Franz Kafka, is set on an island where a severe penal system has been established. The story primarily revolves around four characters: the Officer, the Explorer, the Condemned Man, and the Soldier.
The Officer is a devotee of the old penal system established by the previous Commander, who has since died. This system employs an elaborate execution device that etches the nature of the offender's crime into their skin over a period of twelve hours, leading to death. The Officer is deeply devoted to this brutal form of justice and views the machine as a manifestation of the old Commander's enlightened philosophy.
The Explorer is a foreign visitor invited to witness the operation of the execution device. While intrigued by the Officer's passionate explanations, he is also deeply disturbed by the brutality of the system. The Explorer maintains a neutral stance, possibly due to his unfamiliarity with the place and his unwillingness to interfere in foreign affairs.
The Condemned Man is a prisoner sentenced to death under the penal system. He is not informed of his crime nor the nature of his punishment until it begins. The Soldier, tasked with guarding him, doesn't fully understand the changes happening in the penal colony.
The story unfolds as the Officer attempts to justify the use of the machine to the Explorer, who remains critical of the system. In a desperate attempt to gain the Explorer's support, the Officer decides to subject himself to the machine. However, the Explorer remains unconvinced and leaves the island, disturbed by what he's witnessed.
The role of the Officer
The Officer is a character who is deeply committed to the penal colony's old regime and its methods of punishment. He represents the upholding of tradition and a resistance to change, even when those traditions are cruel and inhumane.
In my opinion, he simply does not know outside his traditional system. There was a charismatic but dictatorial tyrant and created the obsessed society with auto-pilot citizens like holocaust camp. He was born there, was educated by this regime, and has a priviledge.
Also, his ignorance of outside his world makes him to persuade traveler to support him and leverage traveler to influence new commandant to recover the traditional authority.
The symbol of extremeness of this culture was described in a stupid and disgusting punishment machine.
HORROR MONTH #22: In the Penal Colony, by Franz Kafka (1919) — SEVENCUT
We can learn about "change" from this story.
Learning about change management
- Resistance to Change: The Officer's resistance to the new regime demonstrates that change can be challenging for those accustomed to existing systems. This resistance can be fueled by fear of the unknown, loss of control, or a deeply held belief in the existing system. Understanding and addressing these concerns can help manage resistance.
- Communication is Key: The lack of clear communication about the change from old to new systems causes confusion and conflict in the story. Effective communication about the reasons for change, and how it will impact individuals and the organization, is crucial in managing change.
- Show Respect for the Past: The Officer's reverence for the old Commander shows the importance of respecting what came before. Even when implementing change, acknowledging the positive aspects of previous systems can help to ease the transition and reduce resistance.
- Involve Neutral Parties: The Explorer serves as a neutral observer in the story, offering an unbiased perspective on the change. Involving third parties or external consultants can provide fresh insights and aid in the change process.
- Change Can Be Disruptive: The story shows that change can lead to upheaval and conflict. Managing change effectively requires planning and preparedness to mitigate the disruptive effects.
However, I just want to point out. In such a situation, as a traveler, the best thing to do is to ask a good question to encourage both a traveler and officer to reflect themselves and change their behaviour internally.
We can apply this story somewhat to a new leader. A new leader is always minority at initial period and needs to understand the context of existing organization. He or she probably needs to show some respect to existing members and what they have done. Also, it is extremely important to know each other deeply. After mutual understanding of each other is achieved, they need to explain where they want to change and why throughly. Sometimes they need to face conflict and kick out opponents.
Kafka actually rewrote the ending of this story three times.
There is no right answer for leadership.
