The Existence of Employee Cannibalism

Business practices and opinions

By

EDDJ

For some reason the author can not name companies although resources are available, the

article is written on a general/abstract type to ensure that it may not become bias to the

readers
Introduction

A body with out souls is dead, just like a company with out harmony is dead

As business and organizations grow, its ways or even its culture change over time,

as business grows it becomes more competitive to maintain not only its current position

but also to help it self to survive in the tight nature of market competition. When business

grow it follows that it’s processes or the way it is doing the typical business cycle change,

this includes the corporate business practices, from manual operations to mechanical and

the use of computers. From being narrow sited to the Market changes to a market

sensitive business entity, from a sellers market to a buyers market. Employees from being

lenient and come what may employees to an analytical, researched based and customer

sensitive employees.

Change may be slow to some companies yet maintain survival by being a niche

player. Other as big as multi national corporations but failed to survive because of either

they can not adjust to the market or failed to learn its lesson. If you failed to learn, you

learn to fail.

Employees are valuable assets to a company, but sometimes an asset may become

more of a liability, this happens I believe if an employee has an ass set rather than an

asset. This paper discusses employee competitive behavior between other employees.

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I believe that when a competitive behavior between employees is not controlled might

lead to what I call employee cannibalism which later can demoralize employees. This

happen especially to employees who are in sales or those competing for supremacy in the

company. The bad thing is the company it self tolerate competition. “May the best sales

man wins” in some companies where a sale is a must, employees tend to be over

competitive in a way that it cause commotion to other employees such as lowering each

other morale, respect, self confident and can cause alienation among employees, even

trust is affected.

In the preceding discussion the main topic will focus on the competitive mind set

of employees to other employees, especially when it is tolerated by the company it self.

Let us start on the idea of competitive behavior, competitive behavior is healthy, healthy

for business since competition promotes fair business practices among business owner

and employees. The best company will win, the weak company who can not cope to the

market dictates will fail to win market share.

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 It is also healthy for consumers since the presence of competition will make

businesses to set lower prices because some needs are satisfied with products which are

different yet have the same purpose, or the homogeneous condition of other products help

the prices go down. But competitive behavior between employees is bad since it creates

gap, and this gap is the one that hinders each employee to work together, if the gap reach

the extremes may cause a rotten department. A rotten department is a condition where

employees under the same department treat each other as competitors or an enemy, a

place full of unrevealed chaos and distrust. This condition happens I believe to employees

who are in the same line of authority or level and do have the same function.

An example of this condition is the presence of two or more sales people in one

area or department. Where they compete because of sales, we know how important is

sales to a sales man, since it is the measure of once skill set and ability to make a

customer have a purchase.

When employees see other employees taking all the credits, coworkers tend to

become envious, trust and respect is often neglected.

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 “The competitive behavior I believe is also affected by some of the companies

policies like competitive salary benefits”

Trust and respect are very important in the creation of harmony in the relationship

of co workers, but when this harmony is destroyed by the competition among Employees,

it creates a sales war among co workers and if this happen, it can make the work place a

battlefield where every body is an enemy.

Competition among employees especially to the one who is more competitive can

be used as a tool for tyranny in alienating other coworkers and degrading their self

confident. It may sound awkward but it does happen. That is why employees resign in

their company with out just cause even though salary is good. Any one wants to be the

big boss; the MVP of the game but some times being the big boss may crush all those

people who are under your feet. Employees who feel unimportant or feel that they are just

but a burden to the company or to other employee may even get psychological problem.

Being treated unimportant will make any employee stand out to the crowd, an

employee on this condition can cause lower productivity, low self moral. I also believe

that employees who are on this condition may adapt the competitive behavior or a

rebellious age.

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 Employee cannibalism is present on the said discussion, employees who

cannibalize other employees on my opinion will do the same competitive behavior to

other coworkers or newly hired employee, and the habit is carried on so and so until it

reaches the top, an employee cannibalizing other employee, a supervisor competing

against other supervisor, manager versus another manager. If this is the case in the

company the business is doomed. Even process may be affected since the focus is on the

competition, customer relationship is not fully utilized by an employee, serving customer

in this kind of condition will be tantamount to giving poor customer service and customer

sensitivity is low.

Because of the over focus on the competition among the company employees,

since this is the case customers are not treated like customers but cows that needs to be

milked to yield sales. If this happens customer relation is very much affected, customers

may feel that they are neglected and only are used to be cash cows rather than to be

business partners.

“Employees today are not a one man battle tank. It is team based and a team works

together to attain a common goal and to achieve a common good”

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Definition of terms

Rotten department - is a condition where employees under the same department treat

each other as competitors or an enemy, a place full of unrevealed chaos and distrust

Employee cannibalism – it is where the employees on one company naturally treat each

other as potential threats and in order to minimize these potential threats. Employees tend

to destroys each other by intentional distrust, disloyalty, over competitive and alike.

Cash cows – is an established reliable person, industry or entity where profit or even

benefit is acquired through regular basis.

Employee – is a person working for other people or for an employer for the purpose of

gaining salary for the services given.