There is no doubt that Spying in Corporate is bad but there also are ample instances of companies having such a network running subtly (through peons, as rightly pointed by Octavious). The INPUTS once again shows that one and all from ‘CiteMan’ are like-minded professional people believing in ethics.
The end result of ‘Spying’ is almost always bad because the 'Spies' run their own agenda and run vilification campaigns. Thus those good personnel who do not join groups only get targeted or harassed. Further, the Boss’s people called as ‘Chamchas’ are detected very easily. Once ‘Open’ it is no more a ‘Strategy’
However, Mr. Divekar is right in saying that one needs to do such a thing occasionally only for the organizational benefit. This, as he says, needs to be done subtly. Yet the senior management has to be careful as not to believe it in totality but use their judgment to filter out mala fide inputs.
In one of our assignments as Marketing Consultants, to begin with we conducted meetings of different groups, over a cup of tea: e.g. entire Product Management Team together, Marketing Coordinators together, and from field ‘Are Sales Managers’ (of one division at a time, in absence of their bosses). We also invited Typists & in house Graphic Designers as a group. They were elated, as they were never a part of the conference room before. It was a forum with one agenda: How can we improve their working environment.
In all the meetings, HR was always present.
All the PERSONNEL came out with openness, identified us as their supporters, Trusted Us, and continued to give inputs till we were associated. Without Spying Agenda we came to know so many things that really mattered, which were used for improving working conditions. Result: Staff Morale became high, improving performance of each individual, and the Organization.
Dr Ulhas Ganu