布拉特如何將國際足聯(lián)變成了一個“法外之地”?
????17年,塞普?布拉特已經(jīng)像一位國王一樣,將國際足聯(lián)統(tǒng)治了足足17年之久。 ????雖然他是通過選舉獲得了國際足聯(lián)主席一職,但他奉行的是說一不二的專制統(tǒng)治。4年前,他在沒有競爭對手的情況下當選。盡管十多年來一直遭到財務管理不善的指責,但布拉特在國際足聯(lián)209個成員國中依舊很受歡迎。在最近的一次選舉中,他再次大獲全勝,他的競爭對手甚至在投票程序結束之前便宣布退出。而就在這次選舉之前,有14名國際足聯(lián)高官被捕,并將面臨貪污和制度性腐敗的指控。 ????只是在美國司法部迫使布拉特一名下屬佩戴竊聽器之后,布拉特才宣布辭職,走下“王座”。 ????為什么像塞普?布拉特這樣一位受歡迎的領導者,會如此公然置道德約束于不顧,任由腐敗文化滋長? ????事實證明,許多問題都與一件最簡單、最基本的東西有關:權力。布拉特和國際足聯(lián)都擁有太多的權力。 ????布拉特掌握的權力源于國際足聯(lián)與其他世界性機構不同的運行模式。在國際足聯(lián)主席選舉期間,209個國際足聯(lián)成員國各有一票,投票權的分配和成員國人口多寡或是否曾參加過世界杯毫無關系。多年來,布拉特通過分配國際足聯(lián)的收入,為貧窮國家投入了更多資源——這些國家之前一直被國際足聯(lián)忽視,迫切需要這些資源。這樣做的另一個“好處”就是,許多國家都對布拉特忠心耿耿,導致他的地位牢不可摧。 ????那么,國際足聯(lián)又擁有多大的權力?國際足聯(lián)自己的主席曾經(jīng)宣布“國際足聯(lián)的影響力,超過了世界上任何國家、任何宗教,因為它通過開展足球運動向人們傳遞正能量?!弊闱蛩ぐl(fā)的情緒,使國際足聯(lián)能夠占有大量的資源:自1999年以來,國際足聯(lián)積累的財富達到145億美元。 ????當然,布拉特與國際足聯(lián)掌握的權力并不全是壞事。事實上,權力是一種催化力量,能夠推動我們的世界向前發(fā)展,釋放人類的潛能,成就一番偉業(yè)。通常情況下,大權在握的感覺具有建設性意義。在感覺擁有更多權力的時候,我們大多數(shù)人會表現(xiàn)得更好。畢竟,這種感覺可以讓我們更自信地展示自我,要求我們應得的加薪。權力幫助布拉特將足球運動擴展到全世界。 ????正如我們在即將出版的一本新書《朋友與敵人:何時合作,何時競爭,如何共贏》所述,權力的影響不止于此。權力會讓我們的思考、感覺和行為方式發(fā)生變化,使我們陷入麻煩當中——有時候問題會非常嚴重。而且這種影響不只限于個人:擁有更大權力的機構往往會面臨同樣的命運。 ????我們在過去15年的研究顯示,權力會從根本上改變一個人,令他感覺自己是隱形的、無敵的。就布拉特而言,這種感覺讓他失去王冠。而國際足聯(lián)需要為此承擔的后果,可能是多位高官鋃鐺入獄。 ????這種隱形的、無敵的感覺,會讓人們產(chǎn)生“脫抑制性心理”,做出不該做的事情。我們可能會謊報開支,向商業(yè)合作伙伴撒謊,甚至索取賄賂,但在正常情況下,我們的行為抑制系統(tǒng)會發(fā)揮作用,使我們抵制住誘惑。在說話的時候同樣如此。我們可能腦海中想起了某些不恰當?shù)氖虑?,但(謝天謝地)我們會抵制住將它說出口的誘惑。 |
????For 17 years, Sepp Blatter reigned supremely over his FIFA kingdom. ????Though he was elected to his position, his rule was absolute. Four years ago, he ran unopposed in elections. And even after decades of accusations of financial mismanagement, he remained wildly popular among FIFA’s 209 members. In the most recent election, just days after 14 senior soccer officials were indicted and arrested on charges of bribery and institutional corruption, his victory was so massive that his opponent withdrew from the competition before the voting process had even concluded. ????It was only after the U.S. Justice Department pressured an associate of Blatter to wear a wiretap that Blatter was finally dethroned. ????Why is it that a leader as popular as Sepp Blatter acted with such blatant disregard for moral constraints and presided over a culture of corruption? ????It turns out that a lot of the problem has to do with something so simple yet so fundamental: power. Both Blatter and FIFA had A LOT of it. ????Blatter held power because FIFA works differently from every other world body. Each of FIFA’s 209 member countries had the same single vote during FIFA Presidential elections, regardless of their population or whether they had ever participated in a World Cup. And over the years, Blatter divided FIFA’s revenues so that resources poured into poor countries — countries that had long been neglected by FIFA and desperately needed the infusion. And this distribution of resources did something else— it secured Blatter’s position by ensuring that scores of nations would loyally vote for Blatter. ????How powerful was FIFA? Well, its own president declared that it is “more influential than any country in the world or any religion through the positive emotions football triggers.” Those emotions evoked by soccer enabled FIFA to preside over a massive pot of resources: amassing $14.5 billion since 1999. ????Of course, the power that Blatter and FIFA held wasn’t all bad. In fact, power is a catalyzing force that moves our world forward and unleashes our potential to accomplish great things. Often, feelings of power are constructive and most of us will perform better when we feel more powerful. After all, this feeling helps us to deliver a confident presentation and ask for the raise that we deserve. And power helped Blatter expand soccer throughout the world. ????As we mention in our forthcoming book, Friend & Foe:When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both, the effects of power don’t stop there. Power can cause us to think, feel and act in ways that get us into trouble — sometimes serious trouble. And it’s not just individuals: Institutions that have greater power often suffer the same fate. ????Our research over the last 15 years shows that power fundamentally transforms people by making them feel both invisible and invincible. For Blatter, these feelings cost him his crown. For FIFA more broadly, it is likely to lead many of its executives to prison. ????The feelings of invisibility and invincibility lead people to feel disinhibited and do things they really shouldn’t be doing. We might be tempted to misreport our expenses, lie to a business partner, or even ask for a bribe, but normally our inhibition system kicks in and we resist temptation. The same is true about saying inappropriate things that come to mind. We might think something, but (thankfully) we resist the temptation to say it. |