ICYMI: Last month, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned following mounting pressure over the Church of England's failure to address child abuse tied to John Smyth, a Christian barrister, as reported by the Financial Times.
"Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty the King, I have decided to resign," Welby announced. A recent independent review exposed a "conspiracy of silence" that allowed Smyth to abuse boys for over 40 years, with clergy failing to act. Though Welby learned of the abuses in 2013, he believed the police would handle the issue.
Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally called for a "reset" in safeguarding practices, emphasizing the need for "a survivor-focused approach." Welby, who presided over Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and King Charles III's coronation, expressed "sorrow with all victims and survivors" and hoped his resignation would underscore the church's “profound commitment to creating a safer church.”
While seemingly unrelated to our core mission here at Starling Insights, this story has implications for how organizations of all types manage misconduct. Our 2025 Compendium launch event in June featured a conversation with Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson and Toulouse School of Economics professor Paul Seabright. Therein, Seabright discussed the differences between "Cultures of Secrecy" —where some people have information that others don't — and "Cultures of Silence" — where everyone knows what is happening, but it is taboo to talk about it — and their implications for organizational management.
This discussion expanded upon his related interview from the 2025 Compendium. "Reading the literature on abuse in religious organizations has made me very aware how depressingly repetitive are the patterns of abuse we see everywhere," he said. "Leaders who are serious about improving the culture of the organizations they work in need to take a hard look at what has been happening in organizations elsewhere, even ones they would never have considered to be relevant examples."
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