The new president, appointed after the firing of the second, was a kind and peace-loving man.
He set out to create a team atmosphere that would bind the organization together. However, rather than encourage a situation where organizational members could explore and resolve their differences in an open manner, he adopted a style of management that really required organizational members to put aside or repress their dif- ferences. The desire for harmony was communicated in a variety of ways, particularly through the use of specific rituals. For example, at special management meetings the staff became an Indian tribe. Each member was given an Indian name and a headband with a feather The aim was to forge unity between inside and outside groups. During this ritual, the practice of levying a 50-cent fine on anyone who mentioned the name of the rival insurance firm was introduced. In both subtle and more obvious ways, the president continued to send messages about the need for harmony. He introduced regular staff meet- ings to review operations at which calm, polite cooperation quickly estab- lished itself as a norm. As some staff members reported. We sit in the same seats, like cows always go to the same stall It's a real waste of time It's a situation where you can say just about anything and no one will refute it. People are very hesitant to speak up, afraid to say too much. They say what everyone else wants to hear.