Simple Sabotage Field Manual
January 21, 2022 in g’da said, Homeless On the High Desert, Ten Bears
Once top-secret CIA Simple Sabotage Field Manual …
“Well this fun . . . Declassified June 16, 1976. “Regraded.” Ten Bears presents some methods I have seen work in business settings. Best bet, just nod your head and keep pushing.
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.
- When possible, refer all matters to committees, for “further study and consideration.” Attempt to make the committee 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.
Managers
- In making work assignments, always sign out the unimportant jobs first. See that important jobs are assigned to inefficient workers.
- Insist on perfect work in relatively unimportant products; send back for refinishing those which have the least flaw.
- To lower morale and with it, production, be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions.
- Hold conferences when there is more critical work to be done.
- Multiply the procedures and clearances involved in issuing instructions, pay checks, and so on. See that three people have to approve everything where one would do.
Employees
- Work slowly
- Work slowly.
- Contrive as many interruptions to your work as you can.
- Do your work poorly and blame it on bad tools, machinery, or equipment. Complain that these things are preventing you from doing your job right.
- Never pass on your skill and experience to a new or less skillful worker.
I remember, from back in the day, US Army Field Manuals sometimes make for interesting reading. ‘How to make fougasse’ for instance. Just the thing for paramilitary wannabees.
Flame fougasse – Wikipedia
I clipped and posted that inpart tongue-in-cheek, without further comment than a link to the Business Insider (BI) post where I found it (not exactly a hotbed of liberal revolution), a link to the field manual itself, and at the bottom of the page a link to whom BI attributed it … because I see so much of it around me every day. Much it can be attributed incompetence, and malaise, but there are small slices in all three categories that make me go hhmmmm …
Ten Bears
I found it interesting too. And funny too.
This is precisely what I experienced with people/employees who wanted to oppose. The worse being the ambush or not telling you of an issue. I finally had one boss who told one subordinate to respect the position. Another boss, I told him he should ask what I had told the employee to do. When the person told him, he replied I was right. I was right. They had to change or we would fail. The results of my management were superior and as a result I made sure they were compensated well.
The tactics are similar.
Business Outsider used to be different. It appears it is going in a different direction.
Add to the Manager category:
— identify staff who, wittingly or not, irritate, exasperate, or bully the others. Protect and promote these people.
A protected bully inserted into a working group is the gift that keeps on giving, guaranteed to flatten productivity and drive away the most capable staff.
Noni