I have struggled with my conscience over whether I should write this blog piece today.I rarely criticise a fellow academic in the pursuit of their subject - when it comes to reviews of academic papers, I am always the soft touch who thinks that the paper should be published in the journal after some changes - never a rejection.
It is therefore with a heavy heart that I utterly and totally condemn the car crash television that epitomised "Ban the Boss" last night on BBC Wales, presented by Dr Paul Thomas of the University of Glamorgan Business School.
This was like an episode of "The Office" that had been scripted by anyone but Ricky Gervais.
I cannot believe that the BBC had decided to put licence payers money into this total disaster of a 'reality TV programme' that, despite the heavy editing, was the equivalent of Fawlty Towers without the funny lines.
Who authorized this programme?
On what basis did someone think that thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money should be spent on a programme that ended up with long serving hard working managers having to leave their jobs on the word of an external consultant?
As someone who has been calling for more business-oriented programmes on Welsh television for the last fifteen years, this parody has put back the cause for another decade.
Worst of all, one cannot believe that Blaenau Gwent County Council actually participated in such a programme and, via a dubious 'business experiment', completely undermined managers who had given years of their lives to their job in such a cavalier and heartless fashion.
Indeed, it actually made me, a Conservative supporter, want to phone up Unison and ask what the hell was going on and how the employees could be treated in this way. One thing I can assure you that if the Conservatives win the next election, I shall do everything in my power to ensure that this philosophy never rears its ugly head anywhere within any policy sphere of the next government.
It is clear that Dr Thomas simply does not understand the difference between good and bad management and therefore believes that getting rid of management altogether is the solution. How wrong can one individual be and, more importantly, how wrong can the BBC and Blaenau Gwent County Council be in giving vital public resources to support such a view.
As someone who worked for four years in Pontypridd, I am shocked and saddened that the Business School has come to this, especially as the aim of the programme was, according to Dr Thomas, "to raise the profile of my work and that of the Glamorgan Business School.”
It is clear that Dr Thomas simply does not understand the difference between good and bad management and therefore believes that getting rid of management altogether is the solution. How wrong can one individual be and, more importantly, how wrong can the BBC and Blaenau Gwent County Council be in giving vital public resources to support such a view.
As someone who worked for four years in Pontypridd, I am shocked and saddened that the Business School has come to this, especially as the aim of the programme was, according to Dr Thomas, "to raise the profile of my work and that of the Glamorgan Business School.”
All I can tell you, after speaking to a number of businesses and academics today about this programme, is that whatever reputation the University of Glamorgan Business School had with regard to management prior to last night has now disappeared forever.
Ironically, given the management issues within many university departments in Wales, one can only wonder whether this programme should have taken place within the University of Glamorgan itself.
Ironically, given the management issues within many university departments in Wales, one can only wonder whether this programme should have taken place within the University of Glamorgan itself.
Indeed, as Clarice Starling states so eloquently in the Silence of the Lambs
“You see a lot, Doctor. But are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you - why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you're afraid to. "
Now that would have been great TV.
“You see a lot, Doctor. But are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself? What about it? Why don't you - why don't you look at yourself and write down what you see? Or maybe you're afraid to. "
Now that would have been great TV.
Comments
This was an extremely poor attempt to try and replicate Troubleshooter and as someone who has had the honour of meeting Sir John Harvey Jones on several occasions, I can well imagine what the great man would have said about this programme.
Anon - I totally agree with you. Content aside, this was programme making of the worst kind - selective, manipulative, unsympathetic. In comparison, "Most Haunted" is Bafta winning programming.
Certainly, if I were a councillor in BGCC, I would be asking serious questions about the chief executive and how he allowed this fiasco to take place in his council.
1. Empirical Evidence: Where is the empirical evidence and case studies of the work of Dr. Paul Thomas and his 'theories'. Where published is the written theoretical case for this? Where are the case studies of organisations he says he has saved 'thousands' and 'made happier places to work'? Is that the role of an academic in management education - to 'save the public sector'?
2. A Poor Theoretical Case: Complexity Theory is a very rich field from which Business Schools and management approaches can learn very much in terms of social networks, self-organisation, interdependence and constant change - moving away from mechanistic management models of command and control, power and formal structures.
But I fear 'Ban the Boss' has not not just done damage to Glamorgan Business School, or more importantly the lives of the workers of a local welsh council (I wonder what they think now about Dr. Paul Thomas and his intentions?), but this program has damaged a leading field of researchers in Complexity Theory and Management Education (LSE/Open University)
Is this 'really' an example of complexity theory in action ... are the teams really self-organising or being organised ... is command and control really absent from the process ... or are their just different actors in the form of BBC Wales, Dr. Paul Thomas and Senior Management's pressure to conform in this exercise ...
2. University Research Ethics: What of the bin men now? What of the management? How do they feel having a very sensitive issue of management and personal change aired on national TV? Where was the university ethics committee to approve this? Where was the confidentiality agreements? Did they all see it and agree it was ok for it to be aired?
Are university researchers not governed by a national code ethical conduct when involving human participants in their research?
In summary ... academic rigiour, ethics and confidentiality are imperative, especially over popularised notarighty or a face in the news ... I (like you I am sure) look forward to reading the research paper from this exercise (if one has been written!)