Office Politics

Some have regarded this particular bit of research to be, perhaps, the most satisfying, most incisive academic study of the past century.

It is not a thesis to work out why the world is in such a confrontational state, nor a panacea for modern life stress and tensions or even a formula to work out who will actually be the new James Bond.

Thanks to the skills and dedication of one Professor David Sims, who published it in the journal "Organisation Studies" we now have, in the public domain  a worthy document called "You Bastard" or with a rather long winded full title of  "A Narrative Exploration of the Experience of Indignation Within Organisations".

"Our patience with forming interpretations and reinterpretations of others' behaviour is not unlimited," writes Sims. "The time comes when we lose interest in trying to understand, and conclude that another person is behaving in a way that is simply unacceptable. The internal discourse changes from one in which the other is 'construed as behaving strangely' or as 'seeing the world differently' or even as mistaken; the discourse becomes one in which they are 'wrong', 'wicked', 'simply a bastard' and should be treated as such."

From his vast experience working in and with businesses and universities, Sims selected three cases in which people came to define a colleague - generally a senior manager - as a bastard.

I apologise to my female readers in that Bastard of course refers to the male gender. I will not dwell on any equivalent labelling for office staff of the fairer sex although, no doubt, there could be a lengthy treatise on that subject alone.

"No special efforts are required to collect such narratives," remarks Sims, "many organisational members are marinated in them. The narratives raise a wide range of the issues involved in considering the experience of indignation in organisations.

However, the narratives make no attempt to cover the complete range of those who might be designated 'bastards'."

Those in a large office environment where politics and gang warfare prevail may be able to identify a colleague that is referred to as the "Clever Bastard".

This title is attached to the person that everyone knows is clever, but are not too surprised that they could not always understand them.

Another category is "Bastard Ex-machina" This character is identified by the trait that, when the heat is on and you need support, the individual will never be there.

Finally, there is  the Devious Bastard, whose tale is too subtly complex to relate here in just a sentence or two.

This is not just about bastards as Sims has been quick to point out. It is equally a fascination with the people who ultimately decide what label to attach to what colleague.

Most office workers felt angry at the behaviour of the designated bastard but research found that they were even more angry because they could not make sense of that behaviour without thinking of the person as a bastard, and this felt like failure to them". Perhaps deep down we are all compassionate and understanding by feeling bad in this way.

But beneath that frustration, Sims cautions, there's often something akin to pleasure:

"There is a warm glow to be had in knowing that someone can be looked down on as a bastard."

Source; The Guardian Newspaper July 2008 article by Marc Abrahams editor of Improbable Research.