People impressed by corporate bullshit tend to make worse decisions

Employees who respond positively to management jargon and corporate buzzwords may be less effective at analytical thinking and workplace decision-making, according to new research from Cornell University. The study, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, examined how office workers reacted to what researchers describe as “corporate bullshit” – abstract, jargon-heavy language that sounds impressive but often lacks clear meaning.

Researcher Shane Littrell developed a “Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale” (CBSR) to measure how readily people were impressed by corporate language filled with phrases such as “growth-hacking paradigms” and “adaptive coherence”. More than 1,000 workers took part in four studies that combined real quotations from business leaders with computer-generated management jargon.

The research found that participants who scored highly on the scale were less likely to demonstrate strong analytical thinking and performed worse in workplace decision-making exercises.

In one scenario, participants were asked how they would respond after an IT department cancelled a newly introduced payment system because of technical problems. The strongest response involved consulting IT, reviewing alternatives and communicating clearly with staff. Participants with higher levels of “corporate bullshit receptivity” were more likely to choose less effective responses.

The study also found that people more receptive to corporate jargon were more likely to rate their supervisors as charismatic and visionary, and were more likely to report satisfaction with their jobs.

Littrell described corporate bullshit as “a specific style of communication that uses confusing, abstract buzzwords in a functionally misleading way”. Unlike technical jargon, which can simplify communication within specialist fields, he said corporate jargon often “confuses rather than clarifies”.

The paper argues that organisations and individuals frequently use this kind of language to create “inflated perceptions” of competence, knowledge or achievement.

According to the researchers, the findings suggest organisations may inadvertently reward ineffective communication styles if employees associate jargon-heavy language with leadership and authority.

The original paper, The Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale: Development, validation, and associations with workplace outcomes, is available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886926000620