Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Demise of a great company by management parasites
I used to work for a great company, a truly world-class organisation which was on the forefront of its industry. It was a great place to work.
Now I work for a swollen bureaucratic top-heavy company that aspires to be world class but is distinctly average and has a complete lack of leadership and direction.
In case you hadn't guessed, I haven't changed companies, its the company that's changed.
The cause of this demise, I speculate, is the introduction of the management parasite. These are an odd but highly successful breed of corporate cuckoos who come into companies at senior management / executive level and have absolutely no loyalty to the company. Their goal is to hang on for as long as possible, saying the right things, never taking a risk, delaying any kind of decisions that may oust them from their comfortable position.
These parasites arrived once the company became successful and started offering a decent renumeration package, the very thing that provides parasite motivation. They come in to feed on the corporate millions, their only agenda being where the next meal ticket is, that's the only thing they really concentrate on, the thing that drives them on, the rest is lip service. Sometimes they have to move sideways, hanging on for dear life, sometimes they have to move on, no doubt with a nice bonus for their failure. A word here and there amongst the like-minded parasites gets them into the next corporate victim.
We shall never be rid of their breed, because they are the ruling class. Those below them in the hierarchy cannot out them, as their careers are in the balance. It is no coincidence that these parasites accelerated the demise of a "job for life", not when there are so many pay-off packages to be taken. This breed has convinced industry that it's beneficial to move companies, that its an advantage to stay no longer than a few years in any one role, that this broadens their experience, makes them more "rounded". Forget loyalty, forget experience, forget really understanding how the company works, forget forging useful long-term working relationships - its just not fashionable.
I'm not going to name names as I still work for this company. I have a twisted hope that one day, the parasites will win. I hope that they will drain the company of its ambition, of its flair, skill, ingenuity, individuality, so it no longer becomes an attractive place for the parasites to breed. And on that day, the company will be given back to the people who really care about what happens to it, and the healing process will begin.
Now I work for a swollen bureaucratic top-heavy company that aspires to be world class but is distinctly average and has a complete lack of leadership and direction.
In case you hadn't guessed, I haven't changed companies, its the company that's changed.
The cause of this demise, I speculate, is the introduction of the management parasite. These are an odd but highly successful breed of corporate cuckoos who come into companies at senior management / executive level and have absolutely no loyalty to the company. Their goal is to hang on for as long as possible, saying the right things, never taking a risk, delaying any kind of decisions that may oust them from their comfortable position.
These parasites arrived once the company became successful and started offering a decent renumeration package, the very thing that provides parasite motivation. They come in to feed on the corporate millions, their only agenda being where the next meal ticket is, that's the only thing they really concentrate on, the thing that drives them on, the rest is lip service. Sometimes they have to move sideways, hanging on for dear life, sometimes they have to move on, no doubt with a nice bonus for their failure. A word here and there amongst the like-minded parasites gets them into the next corporate victim.
We shall never be rid of their breed, because they are the ruling class. Those below them in the hierarchy cannot out them, as their careers are in the balance. It is no coincidence that these parasites accelerated the demise of a "job for life", not when there are so many pay-off packages to be taken. This breed has convinced industry that it's beneficial to move companies, that its an advantage to stay no longer than a few years in any one role, that this broadens their experience, makes them more "rounded". Forget loyalty, forget experience, forget really understanding how the company works, forget forging useful long-term working relationships - its just not fashionable.
I'm not going to name names as I still work for this company. I have a twisted hope that one day, the parasites will win. I hope that they will drain the company of its ambition, of its flair, skill, ingenuity, individuality, so it no longer becomes an attractive place for the parasites to breed. And on that day, the company will be given back to the people who really care about what happens to it, and the healing process will begin.
