All of this is fantastic for your company, but seriously bad for you, says organizational expert Dave Arnott. These perks aren't merely altruistic gestures on the part of your company. Instead, they're consciously designed to induce you to devote more and more of your time, talent, and emotional allegiance to the corporation--at the expense of your private life, your family, and your community.

And rest assured, says Arnott, corporate cultism is not an isolated phenomenon or a far-fetched concept. Consider the top three factors that Fortune magazine calls the hallmarks of a great place to work: sense of purpose, inspiring leadership, and knockout facilities. Now read the uncannily similar characteristics that define a cult: devotion, charismatic leadership, and separation from community

Both startling expos and insightful self-help manual, CORPORATE CULTS gives you a clear picture of this deeply rooted, pernicious problem. It exposes the cycle of manipulation and dependency that is making unhealthy, "cultish" behavior a commonplace way of life for millions of people.

* You'll study the symptoms of "encultedness," including crushingly long hours, few (or no) friends outside the workplace, emotional attitudes about a job--and a dangerous blurring of "who I am" with "what I do." * You'll learn about companies like Southwest Airlines, 3M, and Microsoft that forge the narrowly focused traits of their carefully selected employees into fiercely loyal and cultish organizations. * You'll read the real-life stories of people whose jobs have become their lives--such as the USAA Insurance employee so enamored of his "compound's" fine facilities that he wholeheartedly proclaimed: "You become a part of this place, and it becomes everything you're about." * You'll take an eye-opening 20-question corporate cult test that accurately measures your own level of cultedness. * And--best yet--you'll discover practical strategies for escaping the lure of the corporate cult...and restoring a healthier balance to your life.

From the Back Cover
It's not farfetched, and it's definitely not funny. The fact is that many corporations use the same manipulating and controlling tactics that cults do.

In cult-like cultures, employees pledge unconditional obedience to their leaders. They willingly relinquish their precious vacation days. They even subsume their identities, investing increasing amounts of time and energy in the corporation, at the expense of family and community.

This eye-opening book provides a fascinating--if startling--expos of the unhealthy, all-consuming power that cultish organizations wield over their employees. And it includes behind-the-scenes profiles of cultish cultures, including those from many well-known and celebrated companies.

But it's not just businesses playing this insidious game. As CORPORATE CULTS explains, many employees willingly allow themselves to become "enculted." In a misplaced quest for emotional support and self-esteem, they pledge their deep commitment to an organization--a commitment that will never be returned.

Corporate Cults makes the impassioned argument that people should place more value on who they are and less on what they do. Studiously researched yet accessibly written, the book also reveals practical tips for recognizing the symptoms of cult-like companies and behaviors--and for escaping their pernicious clutches.

For the millions of people who are happier at work than at home--or for those who chafe at the intrusion of the all-consuming company on their private lives--CORPORATE CULTS uncovers a provocative new way to understand the problem, along with practical guidelines for recognizing cultish behavior and regaining control of your life.

About the Author
Dr. Dave Arnott is a professor of management at Dallas Baptist University. Each year he delivers dozens of speeches and conducts numerous seminars on the relationship between the individual and the organization. His seminal article "The Organizational Community: Cult or Culture?" opened a floodgate of response and established his reputation as the leading expert on corporate cults. Dr. Arnott lives in Dallas, Texas.