The vendor blog post “Why We Love Patty McCord” perpetuates the cult-like status of an HR exec who made a name for herself blurring the lines between leading with transparency and leading with fear. Early on, the blog post proclaims that great workplace culture “requires companies to show employees they care.” 

Another worthwhile read, which lends insight into why the aforementioned exec was fired (falling victim to the consequences of the culture she fomented), is “Working at Netflix Sounds Absolutely Terrifying.” The exec, this article reports, left a legacy of a “harsh, hyper-competitive office culture.” This is the same exec the “great caring culture” vendor says “we love.”

Do the simplistic platitudes that permeate our discussions of corporate culture enable workplaces to cloak ruthlessness as transparency?