ABSTRACT
If work requires submission of the will, and such submission is also typical of dangerous cults, the question can be asked: are work organizations like cults? This chapter first reviews the so-called Corporate Stockholm Syndrome, in which employees identify with the larger organization despite its controlling qualities. Next, how cults use work as a method of controlling their members is reviewed. Then, considering some of the primary qualities of cults (member isolation, emotional abuse, control, and charismatic and dogmatic leadership), it is concluded that the degree to which organizations approximate cults is usually small. This excludes some localized areas within some organizations where a cult-like atmosphere might occur. Enron was one corporation viewed by some as having had true cultic qualities. The chapter is rounded out with a discussion of working from home (WFH), in which organizations retain certain elements of control while letting go of others; regardless, the goal is to absorb the creativity and industry of those WFH.
