The Gervais Principle

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Main Series

  • Part I, The Office According to The Office: In which we analyze the basic structural dynamics of organizations in terms of the Gervais Principle of promotions applied to the three archetypes: Sociopaths, Losers and the Clueless.
  • Part II, Posturetalk, Powertalk, Babytalk and Gametalk: In which we analyze the languages of the workplace and how they allow the basic dynamics to play out through interactions within and among the three groups.
  • Part III, The Curse of Development: In which we we examine the world of the Clueless in greater detail, noting in particular their specific patterns of arrested development.
  • Part IV Wonderful Human Beings: In which we examine the world of the Losers and the illegible calculus of status and social capital that makes that world goes around.
  • Part V,  Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: In which we explore the world of capitalist creative destruction, in particular the basic heads-I-win-tails-you-lose pattern behind all Sociopath machinations, and its manifestation in the form of bureaucratic processes and divide-and-conquer politics.
  • Part VI: Children of an Absent God: In which we examine the inner lives of Sociopaths and the theaters they create to satisfy the spiritual needs of Losers and the Clueless. 

Web-Only Extras

Ebook-Only Extras

  • Exit Wounds in Office Spacea bonus essay on the classic Mike Judge movie.
  • A spectacular Preface that outlines my theory of “Organizational Literacy.”
  • Advanced Organizational Literacy for Couch Potatoes: notes on TV shows, movies and books besides The Office and themes to look for.