Pros
A preamble: The following advice is a salvo for prospective and current employees. It may even be of service to educational entities that are considering future partnerships with this Corwin, through its publishing arm, or perhaps as clients of its professional learning services. The purpose of this advice is not to provide feedback on the vast majority of good employees within the organization, nor is it shaped pointedly as a message to those at its helm, though they are deserving of its content and implications. Its aim is to support the growing number of voices that wish to hold this corrupted business accountable to the truth, a truth that is abused and grossly absent across all levels of the organization. It is probable that the message will be met with a reflexive dissolution of responsibility by Corwin's board and leadership. Welcome to Corwin Press, circa 2017, a publishing house well versed in feeding its own salubrious fiction to its partners, employees, and clients, with the aim of fuelling ignorant cohesion of the masses. Why? For impact on its most important measure, its profit. Notwithstanding, those who possess power to enact change will likely read this and consider how to ‘control the message’ or ‘contain the narrative’, dismissing its opinion as vexed or irrelevant. One might even start seeing some more clinical positive reviews published. Within the ultra insecure Executive circles or the offices of Human Resources, it will start with a phrase, something like, "Have you seen this?", or "We need to talk, there is another bad review on Glassdoor." That is a fairly well established pattern now, let the containment games begin. By cultivating spin in response to these views, as it likely will, Corwin will dismiss any assertions that hold it accountable. It has a strong track record of pacifying or ignoring voices that call out unethical behaviours and practices. For those brave enough to whistleblow on its cult-like Executive clique, know that it will denigrate the integrity and reputation of anyone who dares to challenge its patriarchal power base. But also know that in your resistance for fairness and change, you are not alone. There is a bigger movement than you will know of, internally and externally, that exists in your support. The damage that is being inflicted by Corwin on its own brand and reputation, compounds and swells silently. Every. Single. Day. If you can't see it yet, rest assured, it's there, and you will eventually see it. It is dehumanizing and vacuum of human agency. It is an over-invested disaster in the making. Those that have come close enough to see it, will note the disturbing lack of moral leadership that is driving it, normalizing and feeding the prevalent sycophantic culture, Now, let's look at the Pros: There is always a solution to a human problem, Unfortunately, at Corwin, it is usually thought plausible, but nearly always wrong. Let's take for example, the common and widespread low morale that is the result of oppressive, token, and superficial leadership. If you work for Corwin and your morale is low, you'll probably be given an opportunity to play with puppies. Yes, REALLY. #culturefix #passthezoloft Lets imagine you're one of these people that is of debatable professional talent, that you possess a poor work ethic, and that you don't want to spend time building competencies through time honored experience. But what you DO have is a florescent price tag on your moral and political compass. Here is some good news for a change! In Corwin, you won't have to wait long to sell out! In fact, you'll probably sell out in minutes! Leaders favor safe, protective alliances, at any cost. Negotiate your rate with them and before you know it, you'll fit perfectly into their pocket, head and shoulders above your peers. What are you waiting for? Fast track your way to imposter syndrome now. Wink wink, nudge nudge. If you're a fan of professional titles and use management speak to validate your worth, in Corwin you will find an endless bar tab and a room filled with people and gas to inflate yourself with. Simply pull up a stool. Fill your cup to overflow. Drink up and feel the intoxication as it turbo charges your ego. Repeat. Corwin LOVES titles, beautiful, meaningless titles. It worships at the altar of hierarchies. You will too, because you need to know your place whenever they decide its time to put you in it. Have you ever wanted to be in a corporate business that has real impact in education? Try this: Step 1: Read Corwin's bio's online, noting densely crammed key words such as 'partnership', 'co-construction', 'implementation', 'change advisory', and the crater like effect of 'IMPACT'. In dental terms, that is defined a corporate mouth with too many false teeth. Step 2: Cut and paste such words into your own written and verbal vernacular. Step 3: If you want feel the real impact of Corwin in education then use this language and 'sell, sell, sell'. Educators fall for it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME! It's SO easy! NO experience? NO problem! Educators will have no idea what we’re up to. All we need to do is wait for the money truck to arrive! See, it’s easy! You too can have REAL impact on education via Corwin's bottom line! Do you lament those instances when people actually listen to your voice? Relax. That won't happen here. You'll be told you're listened to, but nobody will be listening. You can say anything, say what you want, it won't make any difference. Where else can you find a workplace like that? It's a wonderful alchemy of fear based leadership, lip syncing, and the emperor's noise cancelling headphones. Ever wanted to witness the death of a former brilliant, beautiful bright star, as it collapses inwards upon itself? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Finally, to sum up the pros of working for Corwin: Ignorance is bliss. C'est la vie.
Cons
Like all places, there are many good people working within the walls of this Thousand Oaks publishing facility. They are steeped in the corporate mission of 'helping educators make the greatest impact'. Most of these people are working on the ground, or have been thrown a bone of artificial incentive to marginally elevate them, just enough to convince them - barely - to stay. These seducements are disguised as isotopes of value and empowerment. One is hard pressed to find an exemplar of goodness within the current leadership group. There were lines of hope that could have made a difference to this business, but for reasons unseen to most, they've wisely joined the exodus across the preceding months. The current leadership, led by President Mike Soules, has taken a social mission formed upon the philanthropic ethos and decades long social progressiveness of SAGE founder, Sara Miller McCune, and turned it into commercial debauchery of 'helping Corwin make the greatest impact' to its bottom line. This is all conducted under the facade of helping educators and at the cost of Corwin's meritorious employees, noting, that not all are meritorious. Corwin, is not alone in promulgating this facade. But what accentuates its noxiousness, is the lengths it will undertake to conceal and refute this reality. The organization regularly anchors itself in the past struggles of founder, David McCune, and celebrates the triumphant victory of his vision. However, its actual triumph is that it has become a trojan of this compelling vision, an iconic deception of the vulnerable and exploited demographic it should most care for, and a deception of the workforce that is its greatest asset, its beating heart. In its current form and trajectory, Corwin and its brand has been irrevocably damaged by the vociferous lies introduced by the current executive, the effects of which are found on the surface of its culture and deep within the recesses of its organizational structure. It purposefully and ignorantly shields its true intent behind an impotent social purpose that rather aptly, befits the era of Trump. In play is the corporate version of Alexei Yurchak's term, 'hyper-normalization', where despite a common and widespread awareness of a failing system, its leaders, including a human resource division that has missed so many opportunities to exercise governance, are mopping up issue after issue, disaster after disaster. The leadership structure conspires to maintain the status quo, more so the image of it, and a pretence of a high functioning organization. Internal employee communication is rife with dissent and grievances. The most likely place you will find an example of the corporate values, is not in the behaviours emanating from the current leadership structure, but instead on the slide deck that it uses to communicate them. The leadership perpetually shape-shifts to protect its own status, image, and authority and in concert, is unable to accept accountability for the adverse outcomes that its own strategic decisions have produced. Furthermore, there is such an egregious, culturally embedded, psychological opposition to failure within the organization, that it never realises the advantages and learning benefits that can underscore it. How ironic this is, for an organization that asserts itself as a leader of educational theories and assets. Time and time again, the vulnerability of those who deserve professional nurturing and development within Corwin, is responded to with the emotional intelligence of a plank. Ego and fuel filled tanks are used to drive over employee flowerbeds, all in the name of self interest. There is an unhinged perception within Corwin, and its parent SAGE, that position and title are vastly more real, more important, than the 'subordinate' voice and experience of the organization's people. Knowing that you'll only ever be given a quarter of the truth, do not listen to what the mouthpiece says,. Rather, form your opinions based on what you see the organization and leadership doing. By observing this, you will see that profit is valued more than its people. That profit is more important than purpose. That selfishness comes before selflessness. Weighed up, it is an organization that does not care for the things that should matter most. It is the good people on the ground who are exploited through an artifice of management, rendering employee voice as meaningless, denigrating any sense of value and worth that they may have. Mostly, any acknowledgement of employee worth will be superficial and will be delivered because the leadership will want to be 'seen' valuing employee worth. "Be seen doing' is a phrase that has widespread applicability within Corwin, rather than the alternate, authentic drivers of action such as "Do things because it is the right thing to be doing" or "Do things because it is your purpose" or "Do things because this is the positive world I want to design and encourage", The culture is thick with the sickness of 'being seen' and continues to appoint leaders of this persuasion. Rather than authentically and radically, delivering with vocational purpose. The current leadership has moulded a deceitful, contemptuous entity that violates, on a daily basis, the providence of its own dedicated employees and the field of K-12 professionals. It has devolved and spiralled like a toxic mudslide, falling from a lofty height, to exploit for commercial gain the openness and susceptibility of trustworthy, need driven educators. It is through its actions rather than what it says it does, that it undermines the education sector with an abhorrent, crass, commercial impropriety. Corwin, a deeply fractured SAGE company, targets educators who battle everyday to make a difference in OUR own communities, who need more than ever, OUR genuine support, belief, and empowerment. They are communities whose resources are both scant and precious. Yet they are being laid to waste by the intentional, targeted and manipulative approaches that companies such as Corwin undertake, to reach unsustainable profits. It would be better by design, if commercial entities such as Corwin had no role in education. Without strong leadership, they can not be trusted to remain impartial and absent of the overt influence of materialistic, corporate objectives. Any sense of altruistic and social proclamations made by Corwin's leadership is an affront to the intelligence of all educators, especially those possessing a vulnerability that requires them to participate in this inequitable system. Educational insights are commoditised and positioned for sale by Corwin, moralistically in ways that are no different to product segments within the oil and tobacco industries. It would be far better if educators were able to be wholly serviced by educators, if they could be self-reliant rather than being marketed and sold 'cans of teacher soup' by stagnant, ill purposed, monolithic publishing firms. Disruption is coming, but for now it is reluctantly accepted that companies like Corwin serve a limited function within the educational ecosystem. For Corwin, it should be seen as a position of privilege and honor to elevate a richly deserving, purpose driven constituency. Unfortunately, when the company culture is driven by a leadership that manically pursues self-interest and these dimensions operate without appropriate governance structures, it gives birth to a carnivorous behemoth that chokes and heaves on the consumption of greed, power, and its own value system. The current executive has operated with a leniency of accountability beyond fiscal measures, suggesting a complicit Board whose members are either asleep at the wheel or silenced by the comfort that a profitable business line achieves. How else could the conditions of cultural neglect exist without mitigation? How is it possible that leaders of a company with the virtuous origins have been able to expeditiously drive the organization into the sewer? The top tier of leadership has corrupted what was once a principled business, sequestrating a rapacious profit with the 'sell at any cost' mode of business. I am compelled to write because of the growing number of voices and resignations that are resisting the status quo. I am pleased to add my voice in support of the wider rally against conditions propagated by Corwin's current leadership. As you, the reader, peruse this and other Glassdoor reviews, I would encourage you to contemplate whether the positive reviews have been produced within a short range of steps from the President's office, by individuals naively or intentionally complicit with the illusion of a high functioning organization and leadership structure.
