Are current business structures and processes actually institutionalised sabotage? It would seem so as the following tips from a 1944 manual (pdf) on how to sabotage a business could read as a description of what happens in corporations around the world… (just replace “patriotic” with corporate BS about leadership and innovation).
(11) General Interference with Organisations and Production
(a) Organizations and Conferences
- Insist on doing everything through “channels.” Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions.
- Make “speeches.” Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your “points” by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences. Never hesitate to make a few appropriate “patriotic” comments.
- When possible, refer all matters to committees, for “further study and consideration.” Attempt to make the committees as large as possible — never less than five.
- Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.
- Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.
- Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision.
- Advocate “caution.” Be “reasonable” and urge your fellow-conferees to be “reasonable” and avoid haste which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on.
- Be worried about the propriety of any decision — raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lies within the juris diction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon.
via Joho the blog
Boing Boing comes to the same conclusion: Sabotage manual from 1944 advises acting like an average 2008 manager
