Poisoning Knowledge

People are not very easily corruptible, so only the truly wicked are adept at poisoning knowledge for their own purpose. Thanks to the civil nature of the office, and its reliance on knowledge, poisoning can be used to refute a competitor’s worth. It is part of conflict and is very simple: knowledge is poisoned by discrediting its purpose, methods of creation, and output. So we might ask, ‘Why are you doing that? It was never supposed to be like that; it will never go anywhere’. The end result is the removal of a competitor’s responsibility.

he poisoning can be subtle, and can even involve minimal discrediting. It is not a direct personal attack; it is the best type of personal attack, because an employee’s worth is discredited on a ‘rational’ basis rather than emotional vindictiveness. They feel worthless.

If you suspect someone is out to poison the knowledge you are working on, observe how they communicate with the person who pays for your output. At some point, the person who finances your ‘flawed’ knowledge will have to gauge what is real and what is rubbish. As for the perpetrator, do not challenge them; monitor what they’re working on and where they wish to head. Find out what part of their employment means a lot to them, but don’t poison that yet. Use the pain of flattery first.