Corporate Sabotage
A now de-classified 32-page document that is on the CIA website makes for an interesting read. The text, published in 1944, was a World War II field manual that instructed employees on how to sabotage an enemy business enterprise from the inside. The following are a few of the ideas put forth from that handbook published 76 years ago.
· Insist on doing everything through channels and never allow short-cuts
· When possible, refer time-sensitive matters to committees for further study. Ensure the committee has at least five members
· Constantly advocate caution on all decisions
· Re-open and rehash decisions that have already been previously decided upon
· Haggle over precise wording of communications and resolutions
· Refer to irrelevant issues as frequently as possible
· Whenever possible, challenge who possesses decision-making authority in any group meeting
· Never pass on your skills or capabilities to a new team member
· See that 3 people must approve everything where one would do
· Blame your poor work on machinery, tools or lack of resources
· Put heavy emphasis on assigning unimportant work to subordinates
· Promote incompetents
I think everyone gets the idea that many of these items may very well relate directly to some business environments in today’s world!