Critical response “The Dynamics of Obedience”

consider one of the most influential and controversial set of experiments of the 20th century: Stanley Milgram’s examination of the dynamics of obedience. It’s one of the essential readings for understanding human behavior within hierarchical organizations (the kind many of you will or already do currently work within). In hierarchically structured organizations, there is typically an expectation that the orders given by authority figures will be carried out with a minimum of friction/resistance. But what happens when the orders given conflict with basic principles of morality? Milgram’s study illuminates the dynamics of obedience and offers a frightening view of human actions in situations where responsibility is diffused.