Every day, millions of employees walk into workplaces where fear silently governs their actions. They hold back ideas. They stay quiet about problems. They watch opportunities pass by because speaking up feels too risky.
This is the reality that David Van Fleet, a professor emeritus at Arizona State University, has witnessed throughout his fifty-year career studying organizations. And now, he is doing something about it.
Van Fleet has just released Courage in Organizations, a powerful new book that tackles one of the most overlooked problems in modern workplaces: the quiet, creeping fear that stops people from doing their best work.
The book arrives at a critical moment. Employee engagement is plummeting. Trust in leadership is eroding. And organizations are struggling to adapt to rapid change. Van Fleet argues that the root cause of these challenges is not a lack of talent or resources; it is a lack of courage.
“Courage is not about being fearless,” Van Fleet explains. “It is about acting in spite of fear. It is about doing the right thing even when it is difficult. And it is the single most important ingredient for building organizations where people can thrive.”
The Hidden Enemy Inside Organizations
Van Fleet’s decades of research have uncovered a troubling pattern. Most organizations are trapped in what he calls a “Vulture Culture.” In these environments, blame replaces accountability. Gossip undermines trust. And employees spend more energy protecting themselves than contributing to the organization’s success.
The consequences are devastating. Innovation stalls. Teams fracture. Talented employees leave. Yet most leaders remain blissfully unaware, convinced that their organizations are functioning well.
Van Fleet pulls back the curtain on this hidden reality, giving leaders a clear-eyed view of what is really happening inside their organizations, and more importantly, what they can do about it.
A Practical Roadmap for Change
Courage in Organizations does not just diagnose the problem. It provides a clear, actionable framework for creating real change.
The V-REEL® Framework guides leaders through five essential steps: understanding the Value of courage, recognizing its Rareness, identifying Eroding Factors that destroy it, building Enabling Factors that support it, and ensuring Longevity so that courage becomes a lasting part of organizational culture.
Stories That Inspire Action
What sets this book apart are the deeply human stories that Van Fleet weaves throughout its pages. Readers will meet Private Sven Eriksson, a young soldier in Vietnam who faced an impossible moral choice and chose courage over conformity. They will walk alongside Saima, a Pakistani woman who rebuilt her life from nothing, launching a successful fashion business after a painful divorce. They will discover how Progressive Insurance turned disagreement into a competitive advantage by celebrating diverse viewpoints.
These stories are not just illustrations; they are powerful reminders that courage is not an abstract concept. It is a choice that ordinary people make every day, often at great personal cost.
Why Leaders Cannot Afford to Ignore This Book
The world of work is changing faster than ever. Technology is disrupting industries. Remote work is reshaping teams. Economic uncertainty is testing every organization’s resilience. In this environment, fear is the enemy of progress, and courage is the essential antidote.
Courage in Organizations offers leaders the tools they need to build workplaces where people feel safe, valued, and empowered. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to create an organization that can adapt, innovate, and thrive in the face of change.
About the Author
David D. Van Fleet is a Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University, where he spent decades teaching and researching management and organizational behavior. With over fifty years of experience, he is recognized as one of the leading experts in his field.
Van Fleet’s academic career spans several prestigious institutions, including the University of Tennessee, the University of Akron, and Texas A&M University. He has taught courses in human relations management, organizational behavior, leadership, and management, shaping the careers of countless students who have gone on to become leaders themselves.
His scholarly contributions are extensive, with over 100 journal articles and book chapters published in respected outlets such as the Journal of Managerial Issues, the Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, and the Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship. His research has focused on understanding the darker sides of organizational behavior, including bullying, harassment, and dysfunctional leadership and offering practical solutions for creating healthier workplaces.
Van Fleet is also the author of several influential books, including Bullying and Harassment at Work, Dysfunctional Organizations, and The Violence Volcano. His writing is known for its accessibility, practical insights, and deep empathy for the people who work within organizations.
Beyond his academic work, Van Fleet is a passionate advocate for treating all employees with dignity and respect. He believes that organizations are not just economic entities; they are communities of people who deserve to feel safe, valued, and inspired. Courage in Organizations represents the culmination of his life’s work, offering a heartfelt and practical guide to building a better, braver world of work.
Van Fleet currently resides in Arizona, where he continues to write, research, and speak on topics related to organizational behavior and leadership.