---
title: "Must You Obey Every Decision of Your Boss?"
description: "In most organizations, rules and regulations are emphasized, but should employees obey every company rule and soldiers every command? The article contrasts old and new French military regulations, where the old required unquestioning obedience and the new allows refusal of illegal or harmful orders. It draws parallels to corporate management, arguing that blind obedience can lead to irresponsibility and unethical behavior, and suggests companies should adopt similar protections for employees."
author: "郝志强"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2016-01-29"
language: "en"
canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/must-you-obey-every-decision-of-your-boss-9114f7ae/"
markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/must-you-obey-every-decision-of-your-boss-9114f7ae.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/VzvC8fnXZIYMtYv1lZ2tNA"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E4%B8%8A%E5%8F%B8%E7%9A%84%E4%BB%BB%E4%BD%95%E5%86%B3%E5%AE%9A-%E4%BD%A0%E9%83%BD%E8%A6%81-%E6%9C%8D%E4%BB%8E-%E5%90%97-9114f7ae.md"
attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/must-you-obey-every-decision-of-your-boss-9114f7ae/"
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---

# Must You Obey Every Decision of Your Boss?

> In most organizations, rules and regulations are emphasized, but should employees obey every company rule and soldiers every command? The article contrasts old and new French military regulations, where the old required unquestioning obedience and the new allows refusal of illegal or harmful orders. It draws parallels to corporate management, arguing that blind obedience can lead to irresponsibility and unethical behavior, and suggests companies should adopt similar protections for employees.

Basically, every company has its own set of rules and regulations. Every country has its own laws. In the military, soldiers must also obey certain military regulations, such as military law. In most well-managed organizations, people advocate for rule by law rather than rule by man, and emphasize the execution of these regulations. As an employee, must you comply with every company regulation? As a soldier, must you execute every command from your superior?

I came across an article online about changes in French military law.

The old French military law stipulated: "Soldiers must execute orders without hesitation and without any objection. The responsibility for the order lies with the person who issued it." Does this sound like a company boss? As long as the boss says it, it's right. Whether you think the boss's view is right or wrong, you must obey it. If something goes wrong, the boss takes responsibility. If you don't execute, it's your fault. In the military, disobeying a superior leads to a court-martial. In a company, disobeying the boss leads to being fired.

The new French military law, however, stipulates: "A captain must not issue orders to soldiers that violate the laws and customs of war, national security, or the constitution, nor orders that endanger life or property. Upon receiving such orders, soldiers may refuse to execute them. If the captain still insists on execution, the soldier not only may refuse but also may appeal to a higher-ranking officer. If a soldier executes an order that he feels is illegal, he cannot use the excuse of following orders to shirk responsibility."

These two different military laws both address the relationship between superiors and subordinates. What is the difference?

Clearly, under the old military law, if something went wrong, it was the superior's responsibility. That is, soldiers could be irresponsible for their own actions. Some soldiers might even commit atrocities like looting and killing under the guise of orders, using the excuse: "My superior told me to do it." Soldiers were machines of obedience, killing machines, not flesh-and-blood normal people. Because the military did not call on soldiers to take responsibility for themselves, did not treat soldiers as human beings, it was understandable that soldiers committed inhuman acts. In World War II, Japanese soldiers committed bestial acts—was this related to that? They advocated loyalty to the Emperor, not responsibility for themselves. In the Japanese military, superiors could slap subordinates at will, even kill them with a sword without trial, and subordinates had no dignity. This was passed down level by level, so soldiers naturally treated their enemies and Chinese civilians in the same way. Perhaps this is what the Japanese called the "Bushido spirit."

In such organizations, attributing everything to superiors became an excuse for these people. If things went well, it was the superior's doing; if things went badly, it was also the superior's doing. They did what the superior ordered. They might also do things the superior didn't order, claiming it was the superior's instruction. Because soldiers had no responsibility, the evil in human nature would fully manifest, and they could commit any atrocity. I remember a movie about the American Revolutionary War where a British captain herded all the Americans in a village into a church and set it on fire. The soldiers executing the order couldn't bring themselves to do it and were berated by the superior. So the noble British were also beasts—why? It was determined by military regulations. The military's obedience system turned one beastly officer into thousands of beasts, amplifying evil. This is like in a company: if the manager is autocratic, subordinates just follow orders. When problems arise, everyone looks to the boss and listens to his decisions. A bad boss can ruin a company, and only the boss is responsible for the company.

Under the new military law, soldiers bear the responsibility they should bear. They must be accountable for their actions. If they kill innocent people, they face a court-martial and take responsibility. A soldier is someone responsible for his own actions; he is first a human being, then a soldier.

It is worth noting that under the new military law, soldiers have the right to appeal to their superior's superior. But if the superior's superior is in cahoots with the superior, the appeal may be ineffective. So it might be better to appeal to a department with no vested interest, such as the human resources department, so that these departments can check and balance each other. We see in many American blockbusters, a subordinate squad is sent on a dangerous mission, ambushed by the enemy, and only "Stallone" survives. The superior claims "Stallone" did it, that he is a traitor. "Stallone" appeals but is ignored, and is hunted globally. "Stallone" has no choice but to fight back until he finds solid evidence and brings the corrupt superior or institution to court-martial, becoming a hero who endures humiliation.

By comparison, do your company's superiors and subordinates have such "military regulations"? Must subordinates execute all instructions from superiors without fail? What kind of people does your company want employees to become? What rights do your company's "military regulations" grant to subordinates? In the future, will your company have the following regulations:

"Superiors must not issue orders to subordinates that violate company regulations, national laws, or moral standards. Upon receiving such orders, subordinates may refuse to execute them. If the superior still insists on execution, the subordinate may report to the human resources department. If the report is reasonable, it will not affect the subordinate's promotion. If a subordinate executes an order that he feels violates company regulations, national laws, or moral standards, he bears unshirkable responsibility."

**-END-**

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