Robert M. Galford

Cary Greene

Bob Frisch

Inspired by the Simple Sabotage Field Manual released by the Office of Strategic Services in 1944 to train European resistors, this is the essential handbook to help stamp out unintentional sabotage in any working group, from major corporations to volunteer PTA committees. In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—the predecessor of today’s CIA—issued the Simple Sabotage Field Manual that detailed sabotage techniques designed to demoralize the enemy. One section focused on eight incredibly subtle—and devastatingly destructive—tactics for sabotaging the decision-making processes of organizations. While the manual was written decades ago, these sabotage tactics thrive undetected in organizations today: Insist on doing everything through channels. Make speeches. Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Refer all matters to committees. Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible. Haggle over precise wordings of communications. Refer back to matters already decided upon and attempt to question the advisability of that decision. Advocate caution and urge fellow-conferees to avoid haste that might result in embarrassments or difficulties later on. Be worried about the propriety of any decision. Everyone has been faced with someone who has used these tactics, even when they have meant well. Filled with proven strategies and techniques, this brief, clever book outlines the counter-sabotage measures to detect and reduce the impact of these eight classic sabotage tactics to improve productivity, spur creativity, and engender better collegial relationships.

A Modern Field Manual for Detecting and Rooting Out Everyday Behaviors That Undermine Your Workplace

Simple Sabotage

"Is your company run by a team with no name?At the top of every organization chart lies a myth--that a Senior Management Team makes a company's critical decisions. The reality is that critical decisions are typically made by the boss and a small group of confidants--a "team with no name"--outside of formal processes. Meanwhile, other members of the management team wonder why they weren't in the room or even consulted ahead of time. The dysfunction that results from this gap between myth and reality has led to years of unproductive team building exercises. The problems, Frisch shows, are ones of process and structure, not psychology.Who's In the Room is based on interviews with CEOs at organizations ranging from MasterCard to Ticketmaster to The Red Cross.  Understand and embrace the way decision-making actually happens in their organizations  Use these "teams with no names" to best advantage   Engage the Senior Management Team in the three critical tasks for which it is ideally suited  Organizations will get better decisions and superior results by unleashing the full potential of their Senior Management Teams. And bosses will see a dramatic drop-off in people coming into their offices asking, "Why wasn't I in the room?""--

how great leaders structure and manage the teams around them

Who's in the room

Is your company run by a team with no name? At the top of every organization chart lies a myth—that aSenior Management Team makes a company's critical decisions. Thereality is that critical decisions are typically made by the bossand a small group of confidants—a "team with noname"—outside of formal processes. Meanwhile, other membersof the management team wonder why they weren't in the room or evenconsulted ahead of time. The dysfunction that results from this gapbetween myth and reality has led to years of unproductive teambuilding exercises. The problems, Frisch shows, are ones of processand structure, not psychology. In Who's in the Room? Bob Frisch provides a uniqueperspective to this widely misunderstood issue. Flying in the faceof decades of organizational psychology, he argues that thesolution lies not in addressing behaviors, but in unseating thesenior management team as the epicenter of decision making. Using abroad portfolio of teams—large and small, permanent andtemporary, formal and informal—great leaders match eachdecision to the appropriate team in a fluid, flexible approach thatyou won't find described in management textbooks. Who's in the Room? is based on interviews with CEOs atorganizations ranging from MasterCard to Ticketmaster to The RedCross. Understand and embrace the way decision-making actually happensin their organizations Use these "teams with no names" to best advantage Engage the Senior Management Team in the three critical tasksfor which it is ideally suited Organizations will get better decisions and superior results byunleashing the full potential of their Senior Management Teams. Andbosses will see a dramatic drop-off in people coming into theiroffices asking, "Why wasn't I in the room?"

Bob Frisch

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