An inflatable aircraft of the U.S. Ghost Army in World War II. That inflatable aircraft were used as part of the simulation of ghost divisions is interesting enough, but if you look closely, you'll notice that it is camouflaged with netting overhead. The camouflage that was used was intended to be ineffective enough that the dummy aircraft would be detectable by enemy reconnaissance aircraft. This deception thus conforms to the pattern we here call "Layers of the onion." the idea was that the enemy should be able to detect the dummy aircraft because the camouflage deception was ineffective. Having detected it, the enemy would then conclude that it was a real aircraft, and not examine it carefully enough to determine its true nature. Indeed, a dummy aircraft without camouflage would certainly have seemed suspicious. The stakes were actually much higher than simple detection of dummy aircraft. The enemy had no inkling that the Ghost Army was engaged in deception at all. If even one of their deceptions had been uncovered, their effectiveness overall would have been compromised.
So it is with workplace deception. Once one becomes known for engaging in deception, trusting relationships become difficult to maintain. Isolation is a serious risk.
Photo courtesy U.S. National Archives.
As we saw last time, passive deception disguises an actual capability, facility, or intention to make it difficult to detect, while active deception disguises a nonexistent capability, facility, or intention to make it appear real. Dozens of wonderful examples of active deception from the military domain come from the activities of the so-called Ghost Army in World War II.
The Ghost Army, officially the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops of the U.S. Army, deceived the enemy by creating the impression that forces were positioned where no forces actually were. They carried out missions in Britain before the Normandy landings, and staged 20 deceptions in Europe after the landings. Using inflatable dummy vehicles, sound trucks blaring recordings of mechanized vehicles, and false radio traffic mimicking actual units, they succeeded in distorting enemy positions and even drawing fire.
Here are two examples of active deceptions at work.
- Layers of the onion
- This ploy involves concealing a deception behind another deception. When the targets notice the frontmost deception, and see through it, they most often presume that what they find behind it is real. They rarely attempt to remove another layer of the onion.
- For example, finding in the output tray of a shared printer a resume of a colleague, we often assume that he or she is quietly job-hunting. We assume that we've detected a deception. We rarely consider the possibility that someone else printed the resume and left it there to deceive the discoverer into believing that the resume's owner is job-hunting. When we think we've detected a deception, we assume that the most obvious alternative explanation is true.
- False threats
- In the context of When we notice a deception,
we usually assume that
whatever lies behind
it is truthworkplace politics, a threat is a statement of intent to inflict harm or discomfort. Threats are usually conditional; that is, unless the target complies with the wishes of the threatener, the threat will be executed. A false threat is a threat that the threatener doesn't intend to carry out. It appears to be a real threat, though, and that's what makes this tactic an active deception. - For example, to persuade a subordinate (Saul) to work six days a week for an extended period, a deceptive supervisor (Belinda) might threaten Saul with dismissal by saying, "If you won't do this, we'll find someone else who will." Some supervisors use this approach even when Saul has skills and knowledge that make him irreplaceable. If Belinda doesn't actually believe that Saul is replaceable, she's engaged in active deception. Sadly, the tactic often works. It's most effective when unemployment is high, because Saul fears losing his job.
These are simple examples. Some deceptions contain both active and passive elements. Understanding the nature of active and passive deceptions can reduce the chances of your being deceived. First in this series 
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Related articles
More articles on Workplace Politics:
Devious Political Tactics: The Three-Legged Race- The Three-Legged Race is a tactic that some managers use to avoid giving one person new authority. Some
of the more cynical among us use it to sabotage projects or even careers. How can you survive a three-legged
race?
The Deck Chairs of the Titanic: Task Duration- Much of what we call work is as futile and irrelevant as rearranging the deck chairs of the
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that extend task duration.
Impasses in Group Decision Making: III- In group decision making, impasses can develop. Some are related to the substance of the issue at hand.
With some effort, we can usually resolve substantive impasses. But treating nonsubstantive impasses
in the same way doesn't work. Here's why.
Intentionally Misreporting Status: II- When we report the status of the work we do, we sometimes confront the temptation to embellish the good
news or soften the bad news. Reporting the real situation can be so difficult, in part, because of fear,
ambition, and self-delusion.
The Illusion of Explanatory Depth- The illusion of explanatory depth is the tendency of humans to believe they understand something better
than they actually do. Discovering the illusion when you're explaining something is worse than embarrassing.
It can be career ending.
See also Workplace Politics and Devious Political Tactics for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming October 4: Self-Importance and Conversational Narcissism at Work: I- Conversational narcissism is a set of behaviors that participants use to focus the exchange on their own self-interest rather than the shared objective. This post emphasizes the role of these behaviors in advancing a narcissist's sense of self-importance. Available here and by RSS on October 4.
And on October 11: Self-Importance and Conversational Narcissism at Work: II- Self-importance is one of four major themes of conversational narcissism. Knowing how to recognize the patterns of conversational narcissism is a fundamental skill needed for controlling it. Here are eight examples that emphasize self-importance. Available here and by RSS on October 11.
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