More than a few times I've been in candid conversations with organizational apologists. I sense the reason they choose not to believe that organizations do violence through their very design can possibly be true. It's hard to face.
Let's take the corporate restructure as an example:
Act 1: 'hmm, who are these consultants spending all this time with the executive team? I wonder what they are doing?'
Act 2: 'ahem, attention attention, after much deliberation, we've decided that we need to restructure the organization. but we want to hear what you think. Let us know what you think!!' (cue the chorus coughing into their elbows bullshit)
Act 3: 'Thank you for your input. We have decide that we are going to disestablish all current roles. Please feel free to re-apply for your role if you see it on the new org chart, or another role on the new org chart'
Act 4 version 1: 'Thank you for your interest in the role. I'm sorry to inform you that you haven't been successful. Here is one months severance and a phone number to call if you are upset. We care alot.'
Act 4 version 2: 'Congratulations, you are a WINNER! you get to stay!'
Act 5: 'Please join the workshop to discover our new mission, vision, purpose and values!' You'll get swag at the end!
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Two years later...
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Act 1: 'hmm, who are these consultants spending all this time with the executive team? I wonder what they are doing?'
Have you ever considered the cruelty in this process?
Anxiety, paranoia, sleepless nights, worry about money, competing with peers, feelings of worthlessness, political machinations, survivors guilt, living with the big lie...
And this is just the 'employees' - what about the damage caused to the 'bosses' that are coerced to make these choices, carry out the firing, keep secrets, pretend to be listening when the decisions have already been made.
This is psychopathic behaviour.
And one it goes, again, and again. Big fancy companies and big fancy lawyers convince execs that this is the only way to recalibrate.
It's lazy. It's evil.