A new study has validated the existence and impact of the Corporate Bullsh*t Receptivity Scale (CBSR). The research confirms that individuals who find corporate jargon most impressive tend to make poorer decisions in their professional roles.

Developing the Corporate Gibberish Generator

Defining Corporate BS

The study defined “corporate BS” as communication that intentionally obscures the truth. This style relies on confusing language, leveraging abstruse corporate buzzwords and jargon in a functionally misleading manner.

The Creation of the Measurement Tool

Cornell researcher Shane Littrell created a generator for pure corporate gibberish. This tool stripped real Fortune 500 executive quotes down to their grammatical structure. Buzzwords from annual reports and industry publications were then randomly inserted.

The resulting sentences were syntactically sound but semantically empty, resembling communication like "actualize a renewed level of swim-lane credentialing on a vertical landscape." These fabricated quotes were mixed with authentic statements from CEOs.

Testing Receptivity and Performance

Participant Evaluation

Over a thousand employed adults participated across four studies. Participants evaluated each statement's "business savvy." A notable finding was that several real executive quotes were indistinguishable from the computer-generated nonsense.

These indistinguishable real quotes had to be removed from analysis because participants could not reliably tell the difference. Study 1 focused on refining the instrument, resulting in the Corporate Bullsh*t Receptivity Scale.

Correlation with Thinking Skills

Study 2 further measured participants' analytic thinking, often described as having "a great deal" of business savvy. The ability to differentiate genuine communication from gibberish showed a positive correlation with analytical thinking.

This correlation specifically involved actively open-minded thinking and the reasoning required to detect claims that do not hold up logically.

Implications for Organizational Behavior and Hiring

The Cycle of BS Production

Workers who report high levels of corporate BS within their organizations are also more likely to generate it themselves. This behavior can be interpreted in two ways.

  • One view suggests these individuals are conforming to established organizational social norms.
  • A less generous interpretation posits that they were drawn to that environment because it rewards the skills they already possess.

The CBSR as a Potential Selection Tool

The study suggests the CBSR could eventually function as a supplemental tool in hiring and promotion processes. It offers a resource-efficient signal of analytic thinking.

This measure may be harder to manipulate than self-report surveys and more contextually relevant than standard ability tests. However, the researchers caution that it would only be supplemental if further validated for selection purposes.

Future Research Directions

The validation of the CBSR provides a tool to capture individual differences in susceptibility to organizational noise. It also helps predict decision-making quality and perceptions of leadership effectiveness.

Future research must examine if BS receptivity changes based on organizational experience or interventions. It also needs to test whether the CBSR's potential as a selection tool holds up against actual long-term job performance metrics, rather than just situational judgment scores.