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They're not a**holes, they're saboteurs!

The Bread Guy

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Spotted this interesting tome - "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" (1944),  by the United States Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA) - and some of the sabotage tips sound frighteningly familiar to anyone who's worked in a dysfunctional workplace ...
... (11) General Interference with Organizations and Production

(a) Organizations and Conferences

(1) Insist on doing everything through "channels." Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expeditedecisions.

(2) Make "speeches." Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your "points" by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences. Never hesitate to make a few appropriate "patriotic" comments.

(3) When possible, refer all matters to committees, for "further study and consideration." Attempt to make the committees as large as possible
-- never less than five.

(4) Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.

(5) Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.

(6) Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision.

(7) Advocate "caution." Be "reasonable" and urge your fellow-conferees to be "reasonable" and avoid haste which might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on.

(8 ) Be worried about the propriety of any decision -- raise the question of whether such action as is contemplated lies within the
jurisdiction of the group or whether it might conflict with the policy of some higher echelon.

(b) Managers and Supervisors

(1) Demand written orders.

(2) "Misunderstand" orders. Ask endless questions or engage in long correspondence about such orders. Quibble over them when you can.

(3) Do everything possible to delay the delivery of orders. Even though parts of an order may be ready beforehand, don't deliver it until it is completely ready.

(4) Don't order new working materials until your current stocks have been virtually exhausted, so that the slightest delay in filling your order will mean a shutdown.

(5) Order high-quality materials which are hard to get. If you don't get them argue about it. Warn that inferior materials will mean inferior work.

(6) In making work assignments, always sign out the unimportant jobs first. See that the important jobs are assigned to inefficient workers of poor machines.

(7) Insist on perfect work in relatively un important products; send back for refinishing those which have the least flaw. Approve other defective parts whose flaws are not visible to the naked eye.

(8 ) Make mistakes in routing so that parts and materials will be sent to the wrong place in the plant.

(9) When training new workers, give in complete or misleading instructions.

(10) To lower morale and with it, production, be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions. Discriminate against efficient workers; complain unjustly about their work.

(11) Hold conferences when there is more critical work to be done.

(12) Multiply paper work in plausible ways.  Start duplicate files.

(13) 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.

(14) Apply all regulations to the last letter.

(c) Office Workers

(1) Make mistakes in quantities of material when you are copying orders. Confuse similar names. Use wrong addresses.

(2) Prolong correspondence with government bureaus.

(3) Misfile essential documents.

(4) In making carbon copies, make one too few, so that an extra copying job will have to be done.

(5) Tell important callers the boss is busy or talking on another telephone.

(6) Hold up mail until the next collection.

(7) Spread disturbing rumors that sound like inside dope. ...

HTML-viewable version here, text-only version here, PDF here - enjoy!
 
Christ!  I've been surrounded by OSS/SOE operatives all my life and never knew it, even nowadays.  I always thought they were assholes, now I know better. 
Cheers.
 
I've always thought typical NDHQ meetings were bad - now I know they're enemy action and will henceforth decline to participate  [:(
 
milnews.ca said:
Spotted this interesting tome - "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" (1944),  by the United States Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA) - and some of the sabotage tips sound frighteningly familiar to anyone who's worked in a dysfunctional workplace ...
HTML-viewable version here, text-only version here, PDF here - enjoy!
Liberal government 101.
 
ANY government... :nod:
 
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