Negative selection is a political process that occurs especially in rigid hierarchies, most notably dictatorships, but also to lesser degrees in such settings as corporations or electoral politics.

The person on the top of the hierarchy, wishing to remain in power forever, chooses his associates with the prime criterion of incompetence – they must not be competent enough to remove him from power. Since subordinates often mimic their leader, these associates do the same with those below them in the hierarchy, and the hierarchy is progressively filled with more and more incompetent people.

If the dictator sees that he is threatened nonetheless, he will remove those that threaten him from their positions – “purge” the hierarchy. Emptied positions in the hierarchy are normally filled with people from below – those who were less competent than their previous masters. So, over the course of time, the hierarchy becomes less and less effective. Once the dictator dies — or is removed by some external influence — what remains is a grossly ineffective hierarchy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_selection_(politics)

Mushroom management

Why does this happen?

The main reason for this kind of philosophy to be applied in a company is that the managers fail their main purpose – to manage. They do not see themselves as someone leading others towards bigger success for everyone, but rather someone who knows everything and the ones below them are just a herd of sheep following blindly. Often unintentionally, the fear of their employees coming up with great new ideas instead of them drives them to make bad decisions, excluding workers from everything except for the actual work. As a result, the employees end up doing loads of work they were given just to do something and not contributing in any other way.

Mushroom management can occur while handling one-time situations as well. When the ship Titanic hit the iceberg, only a few members of the crew knew that the ship would sink. The captain did not inform majority of the crewmen of the seriousness of the situation, which ended in chaos and disorganization. He acted on his own without incorporating his officers into the decision making.

had sent a herald to Thrasybulus and inquired in what way he would best and most safely govern his city. Thrasybulus led the man who had come from Periander outside the town, and entered into a sown field. As he walked through the wheat, continually asking why the messenger had come to him from Cypselus, he kept cutting off all the tallest ears of wheat which he could see, and throwing them away, until he had destroyed the best and richest part of the crop. Then, after passing through the place and speaking no word of counsel, he sent the herald away. When the herald returned to Cypselus, Periander desired to hear what counsel he brought, but the man said that Thrasybulus had given him none. The herald added that it was a strange man to whom he had been sent, a madman and a destroyer of his own possessions, telling Periander what he had seen Thrasybulus do. Periander, however, understood what had been done, and perceived that Thrasybulus had counselled him to slay those of his townsmen who were outstanding in influence or ability; with that he began to deal with his citizens in an evil manner.

—Herodotus, The Histories, Book 5, 92-f

Aristotle uses Herodotus’ story in his Politics, (1284a) referring to Thrasybulus’ advice to Periander to “take off the tallest stalks, hinting thereby, that it was necessary to make away with the eminent citizens”.

The specific reference to poppies occurs in Livy’s account of the tyrannical Roman King, Tarquin the Proud. He is said to have received a messenger from his son Sextus Tarquinius asking what he should do next in Gabii, since he had become all-powerful there. Rather than answering the messenger verbally, Tarquin went into his garden, took a stick, and symbolically swept it across his garden, thus cutting off the heads of the tallest poppies that were growing there. The messenger, tired of waiting for an answer, returned to Gabii and told Sextus what he had seen. Sextus realised that his father wished him to put to death all of the most eminent people of Gabii, which he then did.

which is why new managers will often start sacking all under them – especially those who know more than them

Didn’t Stalin purge all those that were a threat to him and most likely when WWII started the military leadership was not the cream of the crop

Cymek said:

Didn’t Stalin purge all those that were a threat to him and most likely when WWII started the military leadership was not the cream of the crop

Nah. Stalin got rid of the idle rich and took their money.

Cymek said:

Didn’t Stalin purge all those that were a threat to him and most likely when WWII started the military leadership was not the cream of the crop

Yes, vast numbers of capable military leaders were purged. Even Hitler thought Stalin was insane.

You’d think someone somewhere would just bust a cap in Un’s bottom but the effect of fear for one’s family must dominate.

http://gizmodo.com/31-flavors-of-bullshit-your-horror-stories-of-working-1714986653

EG

The One With Human Trafficking

subliminal writes:

Worked for a venture funded start up from 2007-2010. Money ran out in 2009 but I couldn’t find another job. So essentially worked for a year without pay.

We managed to land a contract that had us working on commerce sites for several television shows, and things were starting to look like they might turn around…

Then my CEO was arrested in Haiti for trying to traffic kids out of the country after the earthquake. You may remember that one.

I was on paternity leave at the time. Contracts were canceled. I never went back. They shut it down.

> The person on the top of the hierarchy, wishing to remain in power forever, chooses his associates with the prime criterion of incompetence – they must not be competent enough to remove him from power.

My number one example of this is Joh Bjelke-Petersen and Russ Hinze.

But I’ve also noticed it in several other Liberal partly line-ups.

When the rule is forgotten you get a Kevin and Julia situation.