Malicious Compliance

Complying with the outward form of orders or rules, while either allowing the result to reveal the flaws in the rules, or exploiting the flaws to sabotage the situation.

There are several forms known:

Examples...

However...

There is another side to MaliciousCompliance; for example, one of the best means is to do what the boss tells you to do, how he tells you to do it. Do not offer suggestions, do not argue, do not go the extra steps to make it make sense. Do it exactly how you are told. Let their incompetence make it fail, and then point out you did it their way, as ordered. This is especially useful if orders are given in writing, and you do not mind working for morons. Does not work well if boss is competent or gives you orders to "do it as you see fit". Very depressing way to work though, and does not result in improvement. It also runs the risk of loss of employment if your managers are jealous.

However...

The usual counter-measure against this is to establish a routine of required question-asking and mind-using, so if something goes wrong everybody is asked: Why didn't you ask?


The most common example: When the Law needs to see what a big company is up to, they subpoena that company's documents. The company responds with big-rig trucks full of cardboard boxes full of hardcopy documentation - everything from founding the company to the most recently replaced lightbulb. Then the Law can't prosecute the company for non-compliance, but can't easily find the details they need, either.

This sounds apachryphal, any sources?


EditText of this page (last edited March 27, 2014) or FindPage with title or text search