I recently became aware of a situation that has me wondering what exactly is insubordination and what are reasonable consequences.
As I understand the situation, the management team had great concern about the economic viability of the nonprofit. They did not believe that either the exec nor the board understood the gravity of the situation. They believed that if the exec and board understood the situation, action could be taken and a full-out crisis could be averted. The team went to the exec and expressed their concerns. The exec accepted their arguments and took the position that more time was needed before alerting the board. It's too soon to know what will happen next but this is where my questions begin.
The exec hinted that if the team went to the board after saying to wait on the news, the team's action would be considered insubordination and all would be at risk of being fired. And, it does seem correct that the team's going to the board after the exec says to wait, would indeed be insubordination. But is there a "greater good" issue and the team should just take the risk of firing with the possibility that the board would recognize that the team did the "right" thing?
What is and who are exactly "right" in this situation? Any thoughts?