Issue #4

Every system exists to serve a purpose. But over time, something dangerous can happen: the system starts to protect itself. That’s exactly why the UK Post Office scandal has persisted for over twenty years.

In the last few months, we’ve seen truth ignored, silence engineered, and leaders choosing themselves over the people they served. But here lies a double failure: systems that shut out those most affected and rewarded those with power for looking away.

Sub-postmasters were never treated as real stakeholders. They weren’t heard or trusted. They were seen as problems. When Horizon showed shortfalls, the assumption was simple: they must be at fault.

At the same time, incentives made ignoring them the rational choice.

Fujitsu was paid as long as Horizon was running.

In 2012–2013, independent investigators found the bugs that caused the phantom shortfalls. Emails from 2021 proved Fujitsu knew about them. Yet at the public inquiry, they claimed there were only “a few bugs”.

And when someone raised systemic problems, leadership bullied them. A grievance later confirmed it. The real issues? Ignored. Even union whistleblower protection disappeared. The system closed ranks.

For Post Office executives, admitting Horizon was flawed would have meant reopening prosecutions, compensating victims, and exposing a double standard.

In Crown offices, which are directly managed by the Post Office, discrepancies were written off. In sub-postmaster branches, they led to prosecutions. Same system. Same bugs. Different treatment.

For the government, admitting the system failed would mean bad publicity, costly fixes, and political risk. Silence kept jobs safe.

Jesus speaks directly to this: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Systems exist to serve people, not the other way around. When we harm people to protect systems, we’ve failed as stewards.

Isaiah warned about this, condemning those who “make unjust laws” that quietly crush the vulnerable while allowing leaders to claim clean hands (Isaiah 10:1–2).

Being a good steward means having the guts to challenge systems that protect themselves and the humility to put others first.

So, how can you help change that?

Ask:

• Who is affected by your decisions but absent from the conversation?
• What do your incentives actually reward: the right things or things looking right?
• When two people face the same problem, does your system treat them differently?
• Can someone raise concerns without being undermined?
• When harm occurs, do we discipline people or examine the systems?

Act:

• Redesign one key incentive this quarter to reward serving people, not preserving appearances.
• When someone raises systemic concerns, protect them publicly.
• Identify one group affected by your decisions that has no voice and give them a seat at the table.
• Tear down structures that repeatedly produce injustice, no matter how efficient they feel.

Model:

• The next time protecting the system requires sacrificing people, stop. Choose the people. 
• Do it publicly. Show your organization what really matters.

Systems don’t preserve themselves. Leaders do. The question is: who are you willing to sacrifice to keep things running smoothly? Because someone always pays.

(Read the entire UK Post Office Scandal series here.)

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