What you describe in your third paragraph is exactly what was shown in "The Office" episode - "branch closing"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_Closing#Synop

What you describe in your third paragraph is exactly what was shown in "The Office" episode - "branch closing"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_Closing#Synopsis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_Closing#Synopsis). Based on the pitch/plan of the manager of the Stamford branch the C level executives plan to close the Scranton branch and make the manager of Stamford the head of the northeast division. The Stamford manager leverages this new potential position to get a C level position at Staples thus destroying all plans that Dunder Miflin had made. This example isn't cited in the Gervais Principle series but is a classic example of the sociopath layer devising a heads I win tails you lose scenario