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– Rev José Mario O Mandía
We have previously studied two important principles that should govern social life: human dignity and the common good. These two principles lead us to two more: subsidiarity and solidarity. Today we will talk about subsidiarity, which flows from the principle of human dignity.
We have seen that human dignity comes from the fact that man is free and responsible. This fact has to be taken into account when we talk about society. Being a member of any kind of society (family, educational institution, company or nation) should not deprive a person of his freedom and capacity for initiative. A symphony orchestra requires a conductor, but if the conductor decides that he will play the flute while conducting at the same time, he may ruin the performance. He must let each musician play even if he thinks he has more mastery of the violin or the flute.
Thus, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (no 1894) states: “In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, neither the state nor any larger society should substitute itself for the initiative and responsibility of individuals and intermediary bodies.” The principle was introduced by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter Quadragesimo Anno where he stated that “it is an injustice and a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organisations can do.”
This principle applies to all kinds of society, whether it be the family, a cooperative, a company, or the nation. In the family, parents have to educate their children in such a way that mom and dad do not become substitutes for the conscience and freedom of their children. It also means that they have to make room for errors or mistakes that children will make — these are part of learning and growing up.
A person who does not observe subsidiarity falls into micromanaging the people under him. This is the tendency to control what subordinates do, thus depriving them of the opportunity to use their freedom, skills and creativity. It thus frustrates them, demoralizes them, and demotivates them. It also takes away their sense of ownership and responsibility because, as we have seen, the sense of ownership comes from freedom. Moreover, when a superior does not delegate responsibilities, he ends up doing things that he does not need to do, and exhausts himself in the process.
Attollo, a Catholic Business Leadership Development Organization, affirms: “It is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative. Said the other way, you uphold the dignity of the human person by giving your employees the responsibility and authority to make decisions and act to get things done. Here’s a good maxim to lead by: ‘Hire who you trust, and trust who you hire.’
“It’s bad business these days to have a such a top-down command-and-control management style, where even the simplest organizational changes require approval from the top….
Subsidiarity is not just a principle of Catholic Social Doctrine. It’s a best practice of healthy businesses!” (http://attollousa.com/four-principles-of-catholic-social-dotctrine/)
The principle also applies to politics. Only when a local government cannot resolve a problem by itself may the higher governing body come in, not necessarily to replace the local government, but to assist it in accomplishing its task.
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I shared the article on subsidiarity with a group of women leaders and one of them wrote this:
Thank you! This article inspired me to grow as a manager, leader and parent.