Upon initial inspection, DODO Site Prime was observed to be in substandard physical condition with several plants deceased (presumably owing to lack of appropriate watering rota), dirty dishes in sink, a cold cup of coffee in the microwave, a low standard of maintenance in the men’s washroom (the women’s was not inspected), and whiteboards rendered unusable by virtue of being entirely covered with cryptic symbols. Red Team Leader spontaneously took initiative to effect a “broken windows” policy of proactively cleaning and tidying the space as a way of setting an example to inspire/motivate demoralized Blue Team personnel.
SLIDE 9: OPERATION “BOLSTER GAINS”
ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE (4 of 5), INCIDENT REPORT
Remaining Blue Team personnel filtered in between 8 and 11 a.m., with no clear policy apparently in effect regarding work hours. At 9:13, Dr. Frank Oda and his wife, Rebecca East-Oda, entered the facility. Dr. Oda affected bewilderment at the dramatic upsurge in whiteboard usable space area, and inquired as to the fate of the “calculations” he had left on them the night before. Red Team Leader briefed him on the “broken windows” policy, but before its rationale and benefits could be enumerated, was interrupted by Mrs. East-Oda who went off agenda with a lengthy and impassioned monologue containing a litany of unprofessional remarks as to the qualifications and character of Red Team Leader. The tone and style of her delivery did not meet reasonable expectations as to social skills and concern for feelings of co-workers. Admittedly this may be a high bar for Mrs. East-Oda who according to background checks has no work experience in high-performance collaborative organizations and a history of lashing out in defense of Dr. Oda. Oda himself was entirely silent during this event, staring off into space in a distracted manner possibly indicative of neurological impairment (presumably age-related). The situation was defused when Blue Team Leader (Lyons) emerged from an adjoining room and announced that he was in the habit of photographing Dr. Oda’s whiteboards and archiving the images as a hedge against mishaps of this type.
Action items: Mrs. East-Oda should be placed on a Performance Enhancement Plan with the clear expectation that she will be terminated with prejudice if her attitude does not show clear improvement. Dr. Oda should be closely observed for further signs of senile dementia and placed on medical leave as indicated.
SLIDE 10: OPERATION “BOLSTER GAINS”
ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE (5 of 5), THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Red Team Leader took advantage of a clean, available whiteboard to bullet-point a number of gambits, ranging from persuasive to kinetic, that might be employed in order to break through Sir Edward Greylock’s reluctance to pivot his 1601 investment strategy toward the East India Company. Noticing a strong, intoxicating fragrance he turned about to discover that he was under observation by an ostensibly young woman matching the description of the Asset. Other Blue Team members had drifted away one by one, claiming that they had other duties to attend to, but the Asset had arrived quite late and seemed to have been observing me for a little while. She was dressed and groomed in a manner likely (and presumably calculated) to pose a distraction to co-workers. Speaking in a strong foreign accent, she demanded an explanation of what I was doing. She found my response strangely amusing. I inquired as to what was so funny. Offering her a whiteboard marker in a contrasting color (which she refused), I requested that she supply point-by-point rebuttals (anticipating a lively exchange of views, I had left ample whitespace for same between my bullet points). She refused to accept the proffered writing instrument or even to supply itemized refutations in a verbal format, instead issuing what, if I understood it correctly, was a blanket dismissal of the entire way of thinking underlying my program of suggested Greylock inducement modalities. During this time I witnessed her fidgeting with the previously mentioned Smallogep, which resembles a raggedy tangle of yarn. When I pressed her again for more actionable feedback, she waved the Smallogep toward the part of the whiteboard where I had bulleted some more forward-leaning measures and told me that these were utter folly because they ran the risk of producing something that sounded like “near osh.” I requested an explanation of the seemingly undesirable phenomenon of “near osh.” This only produced more laughter from the Asset, who, once she had recovered her composure, assured me that if I were the sort of person who needed to have it explained, there was no point in explaining it to me.
The conversation, if it could even be called that, was cut short when Dr. Stokes emerged from her office carrying what I later understood to be a briefing document that she had prepared for Blue Team Leader. She summoned the other members of the team and led a premission briefing session, short on actual operational detail and heavy on historical trivia. Blue Team Leader seemed distracted and unfocused. At more than one point during the meeting I observed him gazing fixedly at the whiteboard on which I had drawn up my bullet points. When it was time for the mission to begin, Dr. Stokes had to snap him out of his reverie and inquire as to whether he felt ready to venture once more into the ODEC. While I cannot read his mind, I interpreted this as suggesting that my intervention and my suggested bullet points had impacted his thinking. This gave me some hope that during the DEDE that commenced a few minutes later he might take more direct and aggressive action to resolve the logjam that has developed around Sir Edward Greylock’s investment strategy.
SLIDE 11: CONCLUSION TO INTERIM SITREP
? DODO Site Prime in state of general disarray
? Corrective measures under way; some personnel resistant to change
? Abundant grounds for HR proceedings against several members of existing Blue Team staff should that be desirable from tactical standpoint
? Smallogep requires further analysis
? Recommend wait and see approach but only for brief window
LETTER FROM
GRáINNE to GRACE O’MALLEY
A Sunday of Late-Harvest, 1601
Auspiciousness and prosperity to you, milady!