ABSTRACT
This chapter explores death and grief in organisations, looking at models of loss in the first instance and including traditional models of mourning, such as that of Kubler-Ross. Grief and loss at work are then given attention, including the death of a leader in the workplace and the impact of mergers and downsizing on the process of loss. The chapter examines extreme expressions of death at work through the subject of genocide as a brutal and efficient execution of murder at work; showing how it requires organisational skills and expertise to execute such dirty work. It discusses the way in which organisations defend themselves against death: for example, through denial and greed. Bringing about large-scale death in a methodical and efficient manner requires organisational skills and expertise. Studies on genocide might not seem like an appropriate vehicle to examine endings in organisations, yet there are a number of insights that can be derived from this.
