Title

Hitler's secret, Einstein's fear: Using enemies to empower teams and organizations

Abstract

The shooting at Columbine high school in Colorado and the Oklahoma City bombing have at least one thing in common: Perceived enemies were a powerful motivator for these horrible acts. Enemies can be and are powerful motivators. They give us a sense of community. Top executives at Unisys Corporation, General Electric, Coca-Cola and Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation know about these powerful motivators—that if people do not have a natural enemy, they will create their own. These executives know how to create external ones so that their employees do not create internal ones. They focus their people on looking outward, on finding positive goals.

Department(s)

Management

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1108/eb046414

Publication Date

1-1-2000

Journal Title

Competitiveness Review

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