THE OWNERSHIP TRAP
Give them responsibility for the outcome. Keep the decisions.
Configuration: POWER down; CONTROL down; accountability up.
lack of ownership
COMPOUND PATTERN CANON
Damage travels in packs.
Patterns are recurring configurations of several roots. They are not ninth variables and they do not replace the Eight.
THE INDISPENSABILITY TRAP
Tell them they are too valuable to lose. Use this to ensure they cannot move.
Configuration: Apparent WORTH up; GROWTH down; CONTROL down.
Over time, the employee may discover the difference between valued and useful.
THE INNER CIRCLE
Keep authority formally distributed. Concentrate access informally.
Configuration: BELONGING down; POWER down; FAIRNESS down.
The organizational chart remains unchanged. The actual organization does not.
PERFORMANCE FOG
Keep expectations vague. Make evaluation precise.
Configuration: FEEDBACK down; FAIRNESS down.
The employee learns the standard only after failing to meet it.
DEVELOPMENT THEATRE
Increase development activity without increasing development.
Configuration: GROWTH down; MEANING down; WORTH superficially up.
Learning portals, competency frameworks, development plans, mandatory courses — no meaningful change in capability or opportunity.
CEREMONIAL EMPOWERMENT
Tell them they own it. Require approval.
Configuration: POWER down; CONTROL down; empowerment rhetoric up.
Useful phrases: Take ownership. Use your judgment. You are empowered to lead. All remain subject to approval.
PURPOSE THEATRE
Increase discussion of purpose as the work becomes less connected to it.
Configuration: MEANING down; WORTH down; mission rhetoric up.
The organization has a purpose statement and values wall. The employee has a spreadsheet nobody reads.
RETALIATORY SILENCE
Ask people to speak freely. Ensure everyone remembers what happened to the previous person who did.
Configuration: POWER down; FAIRNESS down; psychological safety down.
Formal channels remain open. Usage declines mysteriously.
THE MOVING TARGET
Define success after observing the result.
Configuration: FEEDBACK down; FAIRNESS down; CONTROL down.
Management diagnosis: the employee needs to become more adaptable.
THE INVISIBLE EXPERT
Depend heavily on someone's expertise. Exclude them from the decisions where that expertise would matter.
Configuration: WORTH down; POWER down; BELONGING down.
The employee remains indispensable operationally and irrelevant strategically.