New Management Problem: Munchausen at Work

Law Practice Management

Posted Aug 25, 2008, 06:48 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

A new workplace problem gaining attention has been dubbed “Munchausen at work.”

Munchausen by proxy syndrome is an affliction in which sufferers induce sickness in others to show how well they can care for them. In Munchausen at work, workers create problems then swoop in to solve them, says Georgia Institute of Technology business professor Nathan Bennett.

The Wall Street Journal gave some examples. In one instance, a male employee told two female co-workers that each was working to undermine the other. He called a meeting with their boss to improve their collaboration but was found out when the women compared notes. In another, a plant manager created rumors of layoffs then told his workers he had managed to save their jobs.