Fear: It's Destiny
8 October 2008
Read by 1727 persons
Year-end is here, perfect for year-end reviews. They're called "progress reviews." Managerial jargon has flourished, disguising what was initially a mere sales pitch with coaching and motivational virtues, complicating the process to make it lucrative for consulting firms.
For many first-level managers, these reviews are a chance to confront the real extent of their power. "You're a big shot, you manage your team. You have a 2% budget total for everyone." Translation: you lack the necessary tools for real management. All you can do is manage through emotions, motivation, and be the super-nice boss people want to follow. Figure it out.
Moments of Truth
But the "super-nice boss" act never lasts more than two years. In the third year, your employees present the bill, and you realize they don't like you that much. For those undergoing this process, the annual review is a yearly opportunity to face the reality of human relationships in the company.
A study by CERQ1 shows that 26% of employees feel their jobs are threatened. Commentators interpret this as a sign of worry. I find it more worrying that two-thirds of people believe their jobs are not threatened.
Never speak ill of anyone; stick to vague platitudes: "Okay, Harry came from Detroit to downsize and sell us, but he's still helping us adapt to new global market constraints!"
All jobs are threatened because our society is destroying the concept of salaried employment and undoing what it took two centuries to build, starting with the forge masters (the thread we're pulling to unravel everything is "competitiveness."
So what role does "management" play in all this? "Members of organizations spend considerable time negotiating an acceptable version of what's happening," writes Weick, whose constructivist work explores the idea that the organization doesn't exist except through the stories its members tell themselves.
As in "Confidential Report,"2 Florence Lautrédou's already cult novel among executives, which acutely portrays the real lives of headhunters. In fact, this column's title is borrowed from it.
Pierre Blanc-sahnoun
Posted online Wednesday, October 8, 2008
newzy.fr
For many first-level managers, these reviews are a chance to confront the real extent of their power. "You're a big shot, you manage your team. You have a 2% budget total for everyone." Translation: you lack the necessary tools for real management. All you can do is manage through emotions, motivation, and be the super-nice boss people want to follow. Figure it out.
Moments of Truth
But the "super-nice boss" act never lasts more than two years. In the third year, your employees present the bill, and you realize they don't like you that much. For those undergoing this process, the annual review is a yearly opportunity to face the reality of human relationships in the company.
A study by CERQ1 shows that 26% of employees feel their jobs are threatened. Commentators interpret this as a sign of worry. I find it more worrying that two-thirds of people believe their jobs are not threatened.
Never speak ill of anyone; stick to vague platitudes: "Okay, Harry came from Detroit to downsize and sell us, but he's still helping us adapt to new global market constraints!"
All jobs are threatened because our society is destroying the concept of salaried employment and undoing what it took two centuries to build, starting with the forge masters (the thread we're pulling to unravel everything is "competitiveness."
So what role does "management" play in all this? "Members of organizations spend considerable time negotiating an acceptable version of what's happening," writes Weick, whose constructivist work explores the idea that the organization doesn't exist except through the stories its members tell themselves.
As in "Confidential Report,"2 Florence Lautrédou's already cult novel among executives, which acutely portrays the real lives of headhunters. In fact, this column's title is borrowed from it.
Pierre Blanc-sahnoun
Posted online Wednesday, October 8, 2008
newzy.fr
