Advanced Leadership Pathways: Alberto Mora and the Costs and Consequences of Torture

Rosabeth M. Kanter; Benjamin  Summers

Case | 2016

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Alberto Mora and the Costs and Consequences of Torture

by Rosabeth M. Kanter and Benjamin Summers

Abstract

Alberto Mora's time as General Counsel of the Navy from 2001–2006 greatly influenced his mission to illuminate the policy consequences of torture. Mora's drive to restore the nation's awareness and conscience against torture was gaining traction. Prominent stakeholders, including leaders in the military, government, NGOs and academia, supported his project. Moving forward, Mora knew that he still faced a number of critical challenges. What vehicles could he use to increase the project's reach and restore the nation's understanding of the costs and consequences of torture? How could he ensure that his project would survive the fluidity of public opinion? Perhaps most challenging, he had to collect meaningful data, which meant soliciting politically sensitive information.

Keywords: torture; consequences; Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Leadership; Rights; Policy; Public Opinion; United States;

Language: English

Format: Print

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Citation:

Kanter, Rosabeth M., and Benjamin Summers. "Advanced Leadership Pathways: Alberto Mora and the Costs and Consequences of Torture." Harvard Business School Case 316-054, 2016. (Advanced Leadership Initiative.)

Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser each decided to do something about gun safety. They each used their professional and leadership experience to identify their own solutions to the issue. Wood created a set of principles for investments funds to pressure gun manufacturers and gun sellers within their portfolios to adopt safety standards. Sternlicht designed a membership-based lobbying and advocacy group in order to harness the power of mass movements to create positive change. And Glaser founded a smart-gun company whose product could help reduce certain types of deaths and injuries. Would any of these three innovations move beyond the historical gridlock on gun safety?

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Advanced Leadership Pathways: Alberto Mora and the Costs and Consequences of Torture

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