Any manager who confronts an uprising must quell it if they want to keep their job and department intact. History offers some lessons. Today’s cubicle workforces share some common themes with sailors cooped up on long voyages.
From the age of discovery to modern management
In 1789, a mutinous crew seized control of the HMS Bounty from the sadistic and petty disciplinarian Capt. William Bligh and set him and 18 other sailors adrift in a small lifeboat in the South Pacific. They sailed 3,600 miles to Java without charts or navigation tools. Bligh eventually made his way back to England, where he was court-martialed and acquitted.
Bligh’s journey illustrates management principles — an evolution from control leadership to team unity. Before the mutiny, Bligh had been fixated on micromanaging his men, which he regarded as more important than efficiency. Once in the lifeboat, the common priority for the crew became sheer survival; they found a unifying goal. At the same time, democratic principles prevailed and all were treated equally.
Even mutinies require business skills. Historical research shows that mutinies are most likely to succeed under certain conditions. When leaders are affable but weak, teams depose of them swiftly with tactical steps, which happened to Henry Hudson, who was abandoned on his namesake Hudson Bay. When group values, like safety and food supply, are compromised, teams rise up. Mutinies also depend on strong ringleaders, from rebel sailors to entrepreneurial founders. Some mutinies actually reinforce a leader’s position. For example, Columbus, who faced revolt three times, used the dynamic on the first occasion to elicit commitment from his crew.
In the heat of the moment, consequences can be unpredictable. The Bounty had no HR department to hear grievances or distribute surveys.
Red flags
Mutinies do not erupt spontaneously. Telltale signs indicate a quiet revolution is brewing. Negativity permeates the office. Look around: Do team members look unhappy or frustrated? Have you noticed cliques forming and groups whispering in corners? Pay attention to palpable clues among your team, such as:
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Disrespect, insubordination or disregard for boundaries.
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Refusal to follow directions.
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Ignoring assignments.
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Increased emergencies and sick days.
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Workers showing up in suits — could it be for a job interview?
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Incomplete jobs.
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Decline in competency and attention.
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Venting on social media.
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Staff avoiding you.
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Chronic lateness.
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Incidents of violence.
Do you need to constantly instruct your team? It may be that you have not given them sufficient authority and autonomy to make their own decisions. If employees feel trapped in a dead-end job with little opportunity for career advancement, the stage is set for a mass exodus, which is synonymous with a contemporary mutiny.
Some workers realize they are more indispensable, which gives them power. They may exert it if they resent a lack of empathy.
How to suppress an office mutiny
You need to put together a plan. Start by walking the floor and asking questions to get a sense of the tempo of operations. If you are nervous, hide it. Fear leaves a scent. This means do not isolate yourself, however tempting. Insert yourself into the heart of things.
Banish instigators; privately tell them their behavior is unacceptable, and talk to HR or legal as a last resort.
Can you alleviate employees’ stress? Consider offering lunchtime workouts or implementing community service. Lighten the mood with gentle humor if appropriate.
You may have no choice but to identify yourself as a fellow victim of group circumstances. Like Bligh’s crew, make survival a group goal. For example, in 1957, eight top managers at Shockley Semiconductor left the company as a result of the owner’s authoritarian management style and went on to found Fairchild Semiconductor in Silicon Valley. In 1960, it became an incubator and was directly or indirectly involved in the creation of dozens of corporations, including Intel and AMD. That movement led to a tech culture of autonomy, flatter organizations and an entrepreneurial spirit of questioning.
In a larger organization, rebel tactics may not always triumph, though. Back in England, Bligh was ultimately exonerated and then promoted to vice admiral.