Are you inadvertently sabotaging your department?

The CIA’s published its manual to teach allied spies how to sabotage the enemy businesses they worked for. The objective is to cause maximum disruption and impact to productivity “in such a way as to involve a minimum danger of injury, detection and reprisal”.  

Some tactics they suggest to use include: 

1. Insisting on doing everything through ‘channels’ and never allow people to take shortcuts to expedite decisions.

2. Referring all matters to committees, for ‘further study and consideration’ where possible. 

3. Bringing up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.

4. Haggling over precise wordings of communications.

5. Referring back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempting to reopen the question.

6. Multiplying the procedures and clearances involved in issuing instructions, paying checks, and so forth so that three or more people have to approve everything where one would do. 

7. Holding long meetings when there is more critical work to be done.

Are you unintentionally sabotaging your department?

Do these points sound familiar? I bet some, if not all, do. Most people see these management tactics deployed in their business every day. 

Somehow, the CIA’s methods to sabotage enemy businesses are now considered as part of the modern day management playbook. And, if you’re using them to manage your department, you’re likely having a detrimental effect on your people and their work.  

Want to stop the self-sabotage and learn a new way to manage your team that unlocks their full potential? Check what management guru and best selling author, Aaron Dignan, had to say during our recent virtual event, Paradigm Shift.