Corporate Abuse: How "Lean and Mean" Robs People and Profits

by Lesley Wright and Marti Syme

Book Overview

The authors' exhaustive research, spanning diverse fields and levels on the corporate ladder, documents the painful reality that American corporations are wringing blood from stones. But Corporate... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028612906
• ISBN13: 9780028612904
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

IF YOU BEEN USED AND ABUSED, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

This book hits the nail on the head on corporate abuse. I displays the greediness and quest for a good "bottom line" instead of treating employees with the respect they've earned.

A must-read for anyone in the corporate world - abused or no

I read this book when I was working at a very abusive organization. It brought clarity to my confusion, removed the personal burden I had been carrying and alleviated a great deal of stress from my life. We stress when we don't understand. This book will bring you understanding. If this was all "Corporate Abuse" did it would be more than worth the price. However, the clarity of the author's ideas combined with the personal anecdotes made otherwise esoteric and ivory tower theories shockingly real and applicable to daily life. This is not a 'whoa-is-me', 'corporate = bad, employee = good' diatribe. It offers incredible insight into how corporations work and why these situations are inevitable when certain foundations have been laid. It is just as valuable to the corporate mind as it is to the employee. In addition, the authors offer guidelines for both parties to either improve the situation or avoid it all together. That's why it gets a fifth star!

A must-read for those dealing with abusive workplaces.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of this book for those who find themselves in abusive work situations is coming to the realization that there really is a problem and that they are not to blame for it. Abusers are well-skilled at making those they abuse shoulder the blame for the abuse. Wright and Smye make it clear that the abusive work situation is both dysfunctional and wrong. The sub-title "How Lean and Mean Robs People and Profits" makes it clear that no one wins. The writers identify three patterns of workplace abuse (there are likely others). These patterns of abuse are systemic rather than situational. To that end they identify them as cultures. The first pattern is the "culture of sacrifice." The essence of this culture is its insatiable demands on the employee. The employee can never give enough to satisfy the demand and personal boundaries are treated as non-existant. The second pattern which they identify is the "win-lose culture". The essence of this pattern is healthy competition turned demonic. Co-workers are pitted against one another in a Darwinian expectation that the strongest will prevail, thus making the corporation stronger. The third abusive pattern is the "culture of blame." In this pattern someone is always to blame for any problem. Problems are never the result of processes or systems and the culprit, once identified, is destroyed. This book is not about some soft-hearted sentimentality that cannot deal with competition, hard work and difficult decisions. It is about recognizing and understanding what it means to be human and treat others in the workplace with respect. It is about building a culture with an eye to the long term in which both the bottom line and the potential of the worker are maximized. The book is an easy read and provides a good balance of analysis and examples of dysfunctional workplaces. If you've ever found yourself in an abusive workplace (or if you are currently in such a place) this book is a must-read for understanding your situation and extricating yourself from it.