The Fruits – Peer reviews

‘Although many people have their nightmare stories to tell about bad dentists, and many more suspect the integrity of the profession as a whole, this book provides more than confirmations and revelations about the dental profession and the failings of its institutions. These failings are probably endemic to most modern professions and organisations. Whistleblowing, on the other hand, is rare and first hand accounts of the experiences of whistleblowers are even rarer. The book will therefore be of great interest to scholars of organisational behaviour, workplace psychology, human resources, sociology of work, etc. It also appears to lend itself well to adaptation as a TV drama series…’

Dr Emma Stringfellow
Assistant professor / Lecturer in Human Resource Management, Coventry University

‘I love the humour and humility with which Hafeez describes the courage required to not only call out wrong doing but defend himself against the attack that followed’

Prof Sharun Mulkand
Professor of Economics, Oxford University

‘I love the ideas, behind the book and I think it is valuable on three main counts: First, it is a first-hand account of a whistleblower, which, is rare. Second, there is the ‘emotional’ account, and how Hafeez used philosophy to change his own thinking (the self-help bit). Third, the account of the philosophy fridge itself, and the way of introducing the ideas to kids.’

Mr Robert Robson
Business Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society

‘Dr Wiedner is an assistant professor at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick. His published work focuses on organizational change in healthcare, collaboration and innovation. He teaches ‘critical issues in management’ and ‘current issues in leadership’ and co-organizes a seminar series known as the ‘Socrates Club’ with Professor Haridimous Tsoukas, in which links between philosophy, management and organization studies are discussed.
His Comments were: Whistleblowing is an essential mechanism through which organizations are held to account. Unfortunately, in many organizations whistleblowing is not actively encouraged and at times strongly resisted, even when formal policies to support it exist. Out of court settlements often prevent grievances from reaching the public, leaving those who are confronted with injustices feeling woefully unprepared when dealing with situations in which they feel obliged to raise serious issues in the workplace. In this book, Dr Hafeez Ahmed provides a detailed and honest account of his own experiences leading up to, and following, his expression of concerns at a university teaching hospital. He describes his journey while reflecting on institutionalized resistance to whistleblowing in the dentistry profession and on the methods that he adopted to cope with stress and anxiety. In particular, Dr Ahmed’s account focuses on the power of words and philosophy (in a general sense) to help find meaning in situations that a whistle blower may perceive as meaningless. In this sense, it directly connects with Ludwig Wittgenstein’s assertion that philosophy is a form of linguistic therapy.’

Dr Rene Wiedner
Associate Professor, Warwick Business School, Warwick University

‘Dr. Hafeez Ahmed’s journey from attempting to raise the quality standards of dentistry in his workplaces to becoming a whistleblower could have led anywhere. With the amount of pressure he experienced a complete mental and physical breakdown could have easily been on the cards. But the Philosophy Fridge! Who could have anticipated that.
This book could be seen as a guide to whistleblowers everywhere; a text book for HR professionals about how NOT to do it or – an introduction to reflection and mindfulness for all ages to help them live their lives as more emotionally intelligent beings.’

Mrs Jill Faulkner
FIPD DMS CertHE. Retired Director of HR and Organisational Strategy and Director of Jill Faulkner Ltd

‘Dr Hafeez Ahmed’s book ‘The Philosophy Fridge’ is not just the story of one man’s personal courage in standing up to the establishment. It is about turning negative experiences into a philosophy of life.
Only after having decided to stand up for his dental patients and dental students does Dr Ahmed begin to realise the ‘machine’ he is up against and the seriousness of the consequences of whistle-blowing. Determined to ‘do the right thing’, despite the adverse effects on family, finance and career; he begins to understand the motivations and behaviour of his ‘superiors’.
Actively learning from his experiences as well as from books and conversations, Dr Ahmed’s posting of pertinent quotations on his ‘fridge’ was initially intended as a useful source of wisdom for his children. Fortunately, by deciding to write this book, his insights will become available to the public at large.’

Mr Daniel Gysin
Modern Languages teacher leading London co-educational, Independent school.

‘A human tale of how blowing the whistle to mend an organisation can almost break you, but ultimately make you. Dr Ahmed shares the lows and highs of his personal battles against influential people in his organisation, and through the unlikely inspiration provided by his kitchen fridge, shares what he learned about personal resilience and growth. Shocking, disturbing, amusing, insightful and inspiring’

Mr Robert Glinton,
Chartered Accountant