Al Dunlap, also known as ‘Chainsaw Al and Rambo in Pinstripes,’ recently authored Mean Business. Dunlap slashed 11,200 jobs at Scott Paper and reduced half of the workforce at Sunbeam. He believes the marketplace is brutal and the proper response is triage. He advises for example that if a turnaround is necessary then the company should fire all consultants. Dunlap believes the only critical stakeholders are those that have a financial stake in the organization such as shareholders and creditors.[i]
In a Wall Street Journal article, Dunlap mentioned the critical characteristics for surviving drastic change. In Dunlapping a corporation, there’s no such thing as a six-month study. He and his team assess who in management contributed to the organization. Those who didn’t add value are Dunlapped. He recommends that employees take risks to differentiate themselves from those who rubber stamp decisions.[ii]
[i] Petzinger, Thomas, “Does Al Dunlap Mean Business, or Is He Just Plain Mean,” Wall Street Journal, August 30, 1996, p. B1.
S Dunlap, Albert, “How to Survive When I Take the Reins,” Wall Street Journal, September 9, 1996, p. A. 18.