In a recent interview, Jean-Louis Bourlanges, the former president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, and Jean-Dominique Senard, the chairman of the Renault Group, shared their insights on a report they co-authored for the liberal think tank Institut Montaigne. The report, titled "Responsibility. A Plea for Action," addresses what they term a pervasive culture of "comfort in irresponsibility" that exists within organizations today. They argue that this culture is primarily a result of excessive complexity within organizational structures, leading to confusion and a lack of accountability.

Bourlanges and Senard emphasize that people across both corporate and public sectors are struggling to define who is accountable for decisions. They highlight the recent case of Laurence des Cars, the director of the Louvre, who finally left her post four months after a significant incident at the museum. This situation exemplifies a broader trend in which individuals in powerful positions evade responsibility, signaling a troubling erosion of the principles of accountability and transparency that should govern organizations.

The implications of this diagnosis are significant, suggesting that without clear accountability frameworks, decision-making can become impaired, ultimately affecting the performance and integrity of organizations. Their call to action urges stakeholders to reconsider organizational designs that encourage responsibility and empower individuals to take ownership of their roles, warning that failure to address these issues could lead to further institutional dysfunction.