RAGNAR SPEICHER

Unwillingly, in recent years, numerous organisations have fallen victim to a self-inflicted form of totalitarianism - restructuring. In a fervent battle for survival, they launch batteries of restructuring initiatives, plunging themselves into a chronic state of flux, and leaving their members disoriented, frightened and, most worryingly, obedient... Appelbaum, Patton and Shapiro (2003) emphasise that failing to consider interdependencies, the importance of key competencies, retention of skills, and preservation of organisational memory, is likely to impact the results of restructuring and downsizing negatively. Williams (2004) argues that downsizing and restructuring not only eliminate knowledge and experience, but also break down crucial relationships between employees and with external stakeholders. He concludes that such a breakdown can impact the organisational culture, cohesion, cooperation and knowledge drastically... Born and raised in Germany, I have been living in England..