Where corporate parasites come from - 4, or work on the parasite
Another cross post from my main blog ...
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I already wrote on this topic, and today I would like to talk about another reason for the emergence of corporate parasites, and very unpleasant when it turned out to be your manager.
To begin with, let's look at the relationship of a good manager with the outside world. He has, of course, a good relationship with the direct boss and the boss of his boss. It is from them that he receives strategic direction, goals and objectives. At the same time, he has good relations with subordinates at least two levels down. Two levels down is critical because it allows him to avoid or detect corporate parasites right below him. The relationship down is where it gets the info about reality from the technology and the possible. But that is not all. He also has good horizontal relations with parallel managers, if possible. This allows him and his people to have normal cooperation, when the achievement of results requires the efforts of several groups, that is, almost always. Finally, he has a channel of information from users. This may be a relationship with marketing, there may be a seat on support forums, there may be regular trips to large customers, but it must be. This is a source of information on the reality of the area of ​​application of efforts, what users need, what not, what their problems are, in general, how they are doing this or that.
It was a good manager. A typical corporate parasite in such a position has very good relations with the authorities at three (and if more luck and more) levels up, but at the expense of all other connections. People two levels down the corporate parasite usually do not care at all, they are a distraction for it. Subordinates one level down are essential for him only to the extent that they do not harm, but help his career. Other managers on par with the parasite are competitors. It’s normal behavior for a parasite to make them a dirty trick, to thwart their success, if it is possible not to get caught. Well, and so are the users in this picture at all side-by-side.
')
For example, if the head of the group decided that passengers on the steamer need false noses and mustaches, then the whole group of the corporate parasite chief working on this one will deal exclusively with noses and mustaches, and what kind of lifeboats are there in FIG? Here people are busy! Mustache! Noses!
Now, imagine that you were in the group with this corporate parasite manager. As a conscientious engineer, you know that lifeboats are needed, and it is very difficult for you to convince yourself that mustaches and noses are more important than theirs. In general, you do not really want to convince yourself of this. Self-deception is a poison for the mind of scientific and technical workers. We all know this intuitively and fear it as fire. And now the whole group around you is forced to rush along the walls and ceiling, shouting indistinctly: “Noses!”, “Mustaches!”, “Nose fasteners!”, “Paint for whiskers fades !!!” ...
For you, it generally looks like some kind of absurd test of loyalty to the immediate superiors. And then, when it is found that the paint for a mustache not only fades, but also a carcinogen, AIM is activated, and the loyalty test becomes even harder ... What can you do?
Usually there are three ways, at least those that I know about:
1. Join the stately crowd.
2. Continue to deal with lifeboats.
3. Leave
So, the first option. By the way, he even has an almost logical explanation. In the end, the company has placed your manager above you so that he will tell you what the company needs from you. Its' his job. How do you know, maybe the neighboring department has long been occupied with boats, and you are not told about this just because it is a secret super-duper project that should drive all your competitors out of the market, who are still mostly busy with mustaches and noses? Try to tell your manager that he does not know what the company needs, and you know. At best, he will say that your job is to carry out his orders, and that this is spelled out in your contract. By the way, the truth is spelled out, contracts are still made on the model of industrial workers and feudal peasants, if not at all on samples from antiquity. And at worst, if you insist, you just get fired.
The trouble, however, is that your friend works in the next department and you know perfectly well that they are not the boats, no one else in the company is engaged. And to be the creator of the "Titanic" may be prestigious, but morally uncomfortable. In addition, joining the crowd also does not save. The corporate parasite is unethical in nature and does not pay bills. Even if you get into the creation of noses and mustaches and create such that the parasite gets a boost, for you it probably will not mean anything good. Well, yes, you made yourself a good step for the parasite, so stay there downstairs. In general, you may not be sacrificed, but you will not get any benefits from helping the parasite. After his promotion, he will most likely put the one who ran along the walls and shouted while you were painting his noses ... That is, another parasite.
What's more remarkable is that by joining the crowd you yourself became a corporate parasite. You began to do something contrary to the interests of the company and business for the sake of personal interest - so that the parasite on you would not drive you out of work. Go through this cycle several times, and it won't even occur to you that there could be something else. And there, you see, and learn how to run along the walls. For this, there is even a bunch of books that teaches such things. Of course, you will not find words like “parasite” there, everything is decent and politically correct, but that is the essence. And this is another way for the emergence of corporate parasites - education within the company with an already established parasitic culture.
These are the cases with the first line of behavior. What about "keep playing your bagpipes" and make lifeboats. Yes, you can ensure that there will be enough boats on the boat and thousands of people will not drown. Q: what is the price for you? Parasites do not forgive such things, your “career” will frighten everyone else in the group and force them to obey the parasite. “Omegas”, they are generally useful in rat packs, and groups controlled by corporate parasites very quickly acquire all the features of a rat pack with an alpha leader, bullheads, beta and an obedient crowd of scales. And individual omega whipping and example to all the rest. You will become such an omega until you get rid of one way or another. In general, option two is also unattractive.
As you understand, I mean that the most reasonable option, in my opinion, is option number three - leave. This is also called "vote with your feet." Of course, they will take someone instead of you who will run along the walls and practice their noses, but sooner or later, if all normal people do the same, the group will not even have those who can paint mustaches and sculpt their noses, and the group will be destroyed by the forces of evolution. Maybe one, maybe with the whole company, but in the end, the viability of the company is primarily the responsibility of top managers. If they put the parasites to your heads, then why should you save the ship that the captain sent to the reefs?
I especially like the other wording of the option three, made about two thousand years ago: “Do not give shrines to the dogs and do not throw your pearls in front of the pigs, so that they do not trample it with their feet and turn not to tear you to pieces.” Does anyone need a link?
-
I already wrote on this topic, and today I would like to talk about another reason for the emergence of corporate parasites, and very unpleasant when it turned out to be your manager.
To begin with, let's look at the relationship of a good manager with the outside world. He has, of course, a good relationship with the direct boss and the boss of his boss. It is from them that he receives strategic direction, goals and objectives. At the same time, he has good relations with subordinates at least two levels down. Two levels down is critical because it allows him to avoid or detect corporate parasites right below him. The relationship down is where it gets the info about reality from the technology and the possible. But that is not all. He also has good horizontal relations with parallel managers, if possible. This allows him and his people to have normal cooperation, when the achievement of results requires the efforts of several groups, that is, almost always. Finally, he has a channel of information from users. This may be a relationship with marketing, there may be a seat on support forums, there may be regular trips to large customers, but it must be. This is a source of information on the reality of the area of ​​application of efforts, what users need, what not, what their problems are, in general, how they are doing this or that.
It was a good manager. A typical corporate parasite in such a position has very good relations with the authorities at three (and if more luck and more) levels up, but at the expense of all other connections. People two levels down the corporate parasite usually do not care at all, they are a distraction for it. Subordinates one level down are essential for him only to the extent that they do not harm, but help his career. Other managers on par with the parasite are competitors. It’s normal behavior for a parasite to make them a dirty trick, to thwart their success, if it is possible not to get caught. Well, and so are the users in this picture at all side-by-side.
')
For example, if the head of the group decided that passengers on the steamer need false noses and mustaches, then the whole group of the corporate parasite chief working on this one will deal exclusively with noses and mustaches, and what kind of lifeboats are there in FIG? Here people are busy! Mustache! Noses!
Now, imagine that you were in the group with this corporate parasite manager. As a conscientious engineer, you know that lifeboats are needed, and it is very difficult for you to convince yourself that mustaches and noses are more important than theirs. In general, you do not really want to convince yourself of this. Self-deception is a poison for the mind of scientific and technical workers. We all know this intuitively and fear it as fire. And now the whole group around you is forced to rush along the walls and ceiling, shouting indistinctly: “Noses!”, “Mustaches!”, “Nose fasteners!”, “Paint for whiskers fades !!!” ...
For you, it generally looks like some kind of absurd test of loyalty to the immediate superiors. And then, when it is found that the paint for a mustache not only fades, but also a carcinogen, AIM is activated, and the loyalty test becomes even harder ... What can you do?
Usually there are three ways, at least those that I know about:
1. Join the stately crowd.
2. Continue to deal with lifeboats.
3. Leave
So, the first option. By the way, he even has an almost logical explanation. In the end, the company has placed your manager above you so that he will tell you what the company needs from you. Its' his job. How do you know, maybe the neighboring department has long been occupied with boats, and you are not told about this just because it is a secret super-duper project that should drive all your competitors out of the market, who are still mostly busy with mustaches and noses? Try to tell your manager that he does not know what the company needs, and you know. At best, he will say that your job is to carry out his orders, and that this is spelled out in your contract. By the way, the truth is spelled out, contracts are still made on the model of industrial workers and feudal peasants, if not at all on samples from antiquity. And at worst, if you insist, you just get fired.
The trouble, however, is that your friend works in the next department and you know perfectly well that they are not the boats, no one else in the company is engaged. And to be the creator of the "Titanic" may be prestigious, but morally uncomfortable. In addition, joining the crowd also does not save. The corporate parasite is unethical in nature and does not pay bills. Even if you get into the creation of noses and mustaches and create such that the parasite gets a boost, for you it probably will not mean anything good. Well, yes, you made yourself a good step for the parasite, so stay there downstairs. In general, you may not be sacrificed, but you will not get any benefits from helping the parasite. After his promotion, he will most likely put the one who ran along the walls and shouted while you were painting his noses ... That is, another parasite.
What's more remarkable is that by joining the crowd you yourself became a corporate parasite. You began to do something contrary to the interests of the company and business for the sake of personal interest - so that the parasite on you would not drive you out of work. Go through this cycle several times, and it won't even occur to you that there could be something else. And there, you see, and learn how to run along the walls. For this, there is even a bunch of books that teaches such things. Of course, you will not find words like “parasite” there, everything is decent and politically correct, but that is the essence. And this is another way for the emergence of corporate parasites - education within the company with an already established parasitic culture.
These are the cases with the first line of behavior. What about "keep playing your bagpipes" and make lifeboats. Yes, you can ensure that there will be enough boats on the boat and thousands of people will not drown. Q: what is the price for you? Parasites do not forgive such things, your “career” will frighten everyone else in the group and force them to obey the parasite. “Omegas”, they are generally useful in rat packs, and groups controlled by corporate parasites very quickly acquire all the features of a rat pack with an alpha leader, bullheads, beta and an obedient crowd of scales. And individual omega whipping and example to all the rest. You will become such an omega until you get rid of one way or another. In general, option two is also unattractive.
As you understand, I mean that the most reasonable option, in my opinion, is option number three - leave. This is also called "vote with your feet." Of course, they will take someone instead of you who will run along the walls and practice their noses, but sooner or later, if all normal people do the same, the group will not even have those who can paint mustaches and sculpt their noses, and the group will be destroyed by the forces of evolution. Maybe one, maybe with the whole company, but in the end, the viability of the company is primarily the responsibility of top managers. If they put the parasites to your heads, then why should you save the ship that the captain sent to the reefs?
I especially like the other wording of the option three, made about two thousand years ago: “Do not give shrines to the dogs and do not throw your pearls in front of the pigs, so that they do not trample it with their feet and turn not to tear you to pieces.” Does anyone need a link?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/17574/
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