In LO7861, Maria Ivancic said:
"The problem for companies... is what to do with people who display
such an attitude.... They no longer trust management because there has
been too long a history of management not being truthful... These
people need to be shown (by management) that things are different. It
may take a long time but trust is something that is very difficult to
win back once you have thrown it away.
Then Jyotsna Pattabiraman said:
"It's not because I am a typical change-resistant type. In fact, I
like to think of myself as an entrepreneurial type, open to ideas and
change. But I find that when I put forward ideas, I am given answers
that are either excuses or typical enthusiasm-killers. That's when I
find myself thinking, "why do I bother ?". I have to agree with Archie
Kregear on this account. A non-receptive authority figure can kill
initiative and learning."
Though I normally lurk on this list, I can't keep from commenting on
this topic. My apologies for a long post, but my situation might
explain how someone enthusiastic about the right kind of change can
back off from publicly championing that change.
I managed an excellent group of technical writers and graphic artists
for years. We all were doing just what we wanted to do, and did such
good jobs that we gave presentations at two international conferences
about how we worked. More importantly, our customers told us over and
over that we did a wonderful job. We even had corporate headquarters
come to us for help instead of their own local groups. We did this
through a lot of attention to our customers' needs, and doing the job
right the first time. Our group worked as a team -- if one of us had
trouble, we all did, and we all chipped in to help. I didn't just
manage, either. I had projects, too, which my group liked, because I
knew what our concerns were first hand. We did some great work.
What was the monkey wrench? Our local management got frightened at how
good a job we did. Over eight months, I was harassed and pestered
because I didn't manage by the outdated, authoritarian methods so
popular throughout the rest of the company. I was told I shouldn't
trust my group, because they'd stab me in the back. I was told I
shouldn't allow people to be so creative. I was told I was a
troublemaker because I prepared my people for promotion. And on and on
and on.
I took a technical job in another group because I couldn't stand the
goading any more. After I left, the group continued to be harassed,
and half of them were laid off. The rest quit, and my replacement was
hounded out of our district, to a less senior position, because he
couldn't stand the stress, either. Two other managers in our division
were subjected to the same treatment. Our problem, it seems, was
competency, and respect from our peers, colleagues, and subordinates.
The two positions I've had since have been much more humane, but I
don't want to manage here again. I still do the best work I can as a
"word and pictures" guru and consultant, but I don't trust management
to deliver on anything. I don't trust them to be honest or fair.
Hundreds of ideas about how to make things better were shot down with,
"It's not the way we do things," or someone fearing I might look
better than them to some nebulous, never-present corporate rep.
Is it any wonder I don't make so many suggestions any more? I don't
put in the overtime I used to. I detach from the artificially urgent
schedule grind, because I always get my stuff done ahead of time. Yes,
I'm angry about this. But I'm also angry because over and over one of
the world's biggest companies punished many people for ideas and work
that made us better. I don't understand how my managers never managed
to see that tragedy.
I don't complain about all this. That would attract the kind of
attention I've already had enough of. I do what I can to keep my work
as good as I can make it. But trying for more than that... the
benefits don't outweigh the shellacking.
To this day, I still get compliments for the way our old group worked.
Too bad my management chain wasn't strong enough to bask in the glow
with me.
Martha
Martha Landerman United Parcel Service
senior creative consultant Information Services
Maryland
rti1mlm@roadnet.ups.com 2311 York Road
Timonium, MD 21093
the usual disclaimers... my words, not my employer's.....
*********************************************
Try yoga. As your body flexes, so does your mind.
*********************************************
--"Martha Landerman" <mlm@smtpgwy.roadnet.ups.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>