HOW TO BE A LOUSY BOSS

AS A case study in how to implement organisational change, Elon Musk's actions at Twitter will go down as the gold standard in what not to do.

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Among other things, the evidence shows what successful organisational change requires: a clear, compelling vision that is communicated effectively; employee participation; and fairness in the way change is implemented. Trust in leaders is also crucial.

Musk, the world's richest man, appears in a hurry to make Twitter into a money spinner-but it takes time to understand the requirements for successful organisational change. Two in three such efforts fail, resulting in significant costs, a stressed workforce, and loss of key talent.

Change management never quite goes to plan. It's hard to figure out whether Musk even has a plan at all.

Musk's 'extremely hardcore' style

Since taking over Twitter on 27 October 2022, Musk has stopped employees working from home, cancelled employee lunches, and laid off about 3 700 employees-roughly half of Twitter's workforce. Many realised they had been sacked when they could no longer access their laptops.

Just days later, it emerged that Musk had a team of snoopers comb through employees' private messages on Slack, firing those who had criticised him.

Then, on 16 November 2022, Musk sent an ultimatum to staff to pledge commitment to a new "extremely hardcore" Twitter that "will mean working long hours at a high intensity". Employees had until 5 pm the next day to accept, or take a severance package. About 500 staff reportedly wrote farewell messages.

Musk appears not to have anticipated this reaction. As the 'hardcore' deadline approached, he started bringing key staff into meetings, trying to convince them to stay.