Destructive tribalism

Hasbro has recently came under fire for grossly mishandling their Dungeons & Dragons brand. Putting aside the discussion of appropriate platform and ecosystem strategies, it is their leadership blunder I want to point to as an example of what not to do.

Since the customer-facing teams were not informed of the upcoming sweeping and disruptive changes, they were quickly overwhelmed with disgruntled customers. The phone lines and ticketing system exploded over night.

Customers were canceling their subscriptions in sign of protest. They were rightfully displeased with massive change for the worse that was unilaterally forced on them without any forewarning.

Leadership responded by bluntly telling their product and customer support teams to pick a side—either fully agree with the change and support the company, or take a hike. Of course, the latter was wrapped in HR-approved language.

Don't do that.

Your people shouldn't have to make the choice between the organisation and the customer. That doesn't make sense. Your organisation thrives on generating value for your customers. In return they spend money with you. It is a mutually beneficial relationship. Not a zero sum game.

Or at least it shouldn't be.