Studiul de caz Enron re-povestit (bazat pe Dennis Tourish i Naheed

Vatcha, Charismatic Leadership and Corporate

Cultism at Enron: The Elimination of
Dissent, the Promotion of Conformity and
Organizational Collapse

Lect.dr. Mihai Deac, FSPAC, UBB

Ce e Enron?

 Contextul pe scurt:
Enron era o companie (una dintre cele mai
mari din SUA) care implementase un
sistem instituionalizat de minciun n
bilanurile sale financiare. Raporta profituri
foarte mari, dei avea de fapt foarte multe
datorii. Astfel, creterea lor se baza doar pe
PR, ceea ce ducea la o cretere artificial a
aciunilor la burs.

De ce nu a spus nimeni ceva mai

repede?
Pentru c n interior, regulile
corporaiei semnau cu cele ale unui
cult

Cum i transformi angajaii n

adepi?

Prin folosirea tehnicilor leadershipului carismatic

Pasul I
i creezi o aur de unicitate i joci un rol
[Skilling CEO] was known
internally as Darth Vader, a
master of the energy universe
who had the ability to control
peoples minds. He was at the
peak of his strength, and he
intimidated everyone. He had
been lured over to the Dark Side
from McKinsey & Company in
1990. He dressed for the part at
company gatherings, referred to
his traders as Storm Troopers
and decorated his home in a
style sympathetic to the Darth
Vader image

Pasul II
Mizezi pe
descrieri
exagerate de
sine pentru tine
i companie

Enron draped a huge banner at its

entrance, proclaiming its latest
vision FROM THE WORLDS
LEADING ENERGY COMPANY TO THE
WORLDS LEADING COMPANY. Such
hyperbole was a normal part of
Enrons
discourse. There are numerous
examples of its presence in letters to
shareholders, which also make use of
the language of war, sport and
extremism, to reinforce the potency
of what was a compelling and
totalistic vision of the most dramatic
kind. Extraordinary goals, set by the
leaders, encourage group members
to regard their group as being
particularly
special and engender a sense of
privilege and uniqueness among

...tot la Pasul II
Compari corporaia cu Elvis, n revista
Fortune: Imagine a country-club dinner
dance, with a bunch of old fogies and their
wives shuffling around half-heartedly to the
not-so-stirring sounds of Guy Lombardo
and his All-Tuxedo Orchestra. Suddenly
young Elvis comes crashing through the
skylight, complete with gold-lam suit,
shiny guitar, and gyrating hips . . . In the
staid world of regulated utilities and
energy companies, Enron Corp. is that
gate-crashing Elvis.

Pasul III
Exagerezi asupra
viziunii pe care o
ai tu i compania

Angajaii erau convini c fac parte

dintr-un grup care schimb total felul n
care se fac afacerile n lume. Enron
erau deseori caracterizai ca vizionari i
revoluionari.
Extras dintr-un raport anual Enron: We
believe wholesale gas and power in
North America, Europe and Japan will
grow from a $660 billion market to a
$1.7 trillion market over the next
several years. Retail energy services in
the United States and Europe have the
potential to grow from $180 billion to
$765 billion in the not-so-distant future.
Broadbands prospective global growth
is huge it should increase from just
$17 billion today to $1.4 trillion within
five years. Taken together, these
markets present a 3.9 trillion

Pasul IV
Permii ct mai puine informaii
negative despre activitatea firmei i
maximizezi accentul pe cele pozitive
Enron avea o regul nescris, no bad
news policy. Angajaii care erau critici,
erau marginalizai.

Pasul V
Utilizezi anecdote ca s distragi
atenia de la probleme

Pasul VI

Pui eecurile pe seama unor factori extern

(tu nu poi fi de vin, pentru c eti perfect)
Au furat arbitrii!, Sistemul e corupt! etc.

i n plus...
Love bombing voi suntei
cei mai buni, altfel nu v-ai fi aflat aici, bla-bla-bla
Love bombing is also crucial, with the implied promise that
that if the recruit merely accedes to the high demands of the
group they will receive the beneficent regard of the leader
and other members of the organization. Thus, cult leaders
make great ceremony of showing individual consideration for
their members at least, immediately before and after they
join. Prospective recruits are showered with attention, which
expands to affection and then often grows into a simulation
of love. This is the courtship phase of the recruitment ritual.
The leader wishes to seduce the new recruit into the
organizations embrace...

 Opulen

- Ca s ntreti faptul c eti special, ai nevoie

de lux
- Promisiunea implicit e c dac faci ce i se
spune i urmezi modelul liderului i cultura
organizaional, ca angajat, ai o ans la
aceeai bunstare pe care o are liderul
- For example, Kenneth Lay had Enron pay
US$7.1 million for a penthouse apartment,
which he and his wife converted into a Venetian
palace with dark woods, deep velvets, period
statuary and a vaulted brick ceiling in the

 Nu le da timp angajailor s i pun

prea multe probleme!
F-i s lucreze din greu (existau
sptmni de lucru de pn la 80 de
ore), evalueaz-i permanent (sistemul
rank and yank) ca s simt mereu
presiunea concedierii, d-le impresia
c este un privilegiu s fie angajai
Enron, f baterii de interviuri de
angajare de 8 ore etc.