If modern management-speak, buzzwords and other jargon leaves you confused, then Shoot the Puppy: A survival guide to the curious jargon of modern life, by Tony Thorne, which I borrowed from my local library today, will help to enlighten you.
The title of this post, muppet shuffling, refers to the practise of moving underperforming or troublesome employees into other departments or positions where they can’t do too much harm, while the term, shoot the puppy, means to do the unthinkable.
Other intesting terms in the book include infobia, the fear of not having enough information, or of having too much, which is also known as data-glut and knowledge pollution; stoozing, profiting from credit card special offers; proctoheliosis, overweening self-importance, and cubicle monkeys, low-level employees who work in cubicles.
I like “touch base” and “talk live” myself.
If Newspeak were to ever arise, it would certainly evolve from corporate lingo. The environment necessitates clear, literal phrases (or in the case of ‘shoot the puppy’ clearly understood and more pragmatic than explaining at length why a situation would fail) that convey information quickly.