A bad leader will cause an organization to deteriorate. Most sources simply call this an ancient proverb of unknown origin. It refers to failing organizations and how the blame should be on their “head,” which is their leadership.
Many countries lay claim to it. I’ve seen sources that place it in China, Russia, Poland, England, Greece and so on, but usually with no evidence to substantiate those claims. Although not certain, the origination of this proverb may be associated with Sir James Porter’s work, which was published in 1768 and titled ‘Observations on the Religion, Law, Government, and Manners of the Turks‘.