Definition
An authoritative instruction from on high that may or may not be legally binding, depending on who's asking and how good their lawyers are. In government and corporate contexts, it's how leadership tells everyone what to do while maintaining plausible deniability if things go wrong. Think of it as a strongly worded suggestion with the implicit threat of consequences.
Example Usage
The CEO issued a directive to improve workplace culture, which middle management interpreted as 'add a ping-pong table and call it a day.'
Source: Common administrative terminology
Related Terms
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See “directive” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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