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I
cock style. Forget the arson attack on corporate
headquarters, or the mysterious disappearance of a
company into the annals of history (via a merger
and acquisition that merged nothing and acquired
all, including the logo and a name that ceased to exist
on day one of the union). Im talking about the sub-
tle poisoning of an organisation that goes unseen by
This script is acted out in paternalistic and
patronising organisations where senior manage-
ment has chronically mistaken a business organi-
sation for a primary school. Toxicity is very subtle
because its acted out in a so-called learning envi-
ronment where people learn by their mistakes
and are empowered to take risks. Suspicion is
many and only slightly suspected by some. Im talk- raised half way through the script when some peo-
ing about slow poisoning by professional assassins ple who fail are fired. The piece ends with people
with a hidden agenda. Im talking about a thriller having a good laugh as the CEO speaks highly
script in the husband-poisons-wife-with-small-doses- about knowledge management while collecting the
of-cyanide genre, where the poison is administered in Learning Organisation of the Year Award.
an apparently caring atmosphere. Script 3: Try harder
In some organisations its not that difficult to Subtitle: Guess what I want.
identify the prime suspects, the toxic managers. You Teams are always not quite there when pre-
might even know them well; you may even report to senting the results of a three-month analysis of the
them. There are two types the obviously obnox- problem, and they go back again and again to refine
ious, and the caring. One of them is very dangerous. their exploration. Eventually one project leader has
Thats right, its the one who cares, and who poi- a revelation and asks: Why dont you tell us what
sons under the duty of care. you want? That would save us from having to keep
So here are ten script outlines for an organisa- going back to the team.
tional thriller. You can Script 4: I have the answer, whats the
choose the heroes and vil- question?
There are two types of toxic lains you want Im just Subtitle: Been there, done that, trust me I
supplying the outline. You know.
manager: the obviously obnoxious can also choose the extras A variation on Script 1, this organisation is gov-
and the caring and the location. Ill be the erned by managers who constantly refer back to their
producer. If you get back to previous experiences. If its a management-change
me with a developed script, well try Hollywood programme, they bring the McKinsey templates
first, and share the profits. Alternatively we may try from their last companys M&A to the first start-up
business schools: the case-study industry is doing meeting. The answers are in there and they have
well and, quite frankly, anything is better than learn- them. If its an HR problem, they are super-psychol-
ing about the Toyota penetration of the US market ogists. If its a financial problem, they know because
and the ultimate maximisation of shareholder value theyve been there before. Reality is pretty much
in the car industry in Southern California. mapped out, causing staff to switch off creatively.
Script 1: I just know Sudden death occurs in this script when market con-
Subtitle: I just know that well do x, but go ditions change drastically, and the combined wisdom
and explore all the options. of those experienced managers cant compensate for
In this scenario, a senior manager not only openly the lack of new ideas and imagination.
relies on teams but declares himself the Great Script 5: Legitimised suicide
Defender of the Team Spirit. He nurtures and pro- Subtitle: You decide who is redundant this
tects his team. He makes a point of personally coach- is a very humane M&A.
ing all the project leaders, although this is received The story opens with M&A consulting gurus
with mixed feelings. He encourages the team to deciding its better to let the staff decide who will sur-
explore many possibilities, to be open-minded and vive, rather than burdening the leadership team with
see the big picture. But he just knows whats going such an inhumane decision. Divisional heads are
to happen. Confronted with a problem, he asks for gathered and handed a business plan and a timetable.
ideas, although he already knows the answer. This After several sleepless nights a good third of the man-
pattern is repeated several times, until the team agers and staff decide theyll be made redundant, so
begins to suspect its wasting its time and that the they leave. The trick in this script is that theres no
Scrip Magazine June 2003 www.scripmag.com File supplied with permission of PJB Publications Ltd 2003
last word
File supplied with permission of PJB Publications Ltd 2003 www.scripmag.com Scrip Magazine June 2003