Jekyll & Hyde, Incorporated
I have found working with corporations, either internally or externally, VERY frustrating at times. The strangest and most frustrating of these times is when you find yourself being rewarded one minute, and chewed out the next. I have ended up calling this the Jekyll & Hyde syndrome in a corporation.
We have established, through past blog entries, that I feel that management of most of these corporation are moving all over the place, with very few of them actually moving in the same direction. This is due to their local measures, which drive them to have different, and often conflicting, behaviors. No where is this more evident in the improvement role.
At GM, I found myself threatened with demotion one day, and then receiving a corporate award for excellence or innovation the next. Of course, this two behaviors occurred from different parts of the organization. It doesn't always work out they way. I have won an award when I was on someone's s@#t list, and the presentation was done in private, with only a "here" as the verbal accolade. But it was not my boss deciding whether I was worthy of the award. It was another group altogether.
In consulting, and in the internet world, it can become even more frustrating. One day, your client is asking you to get more involved, and demanding that you clear your schedule next week, because they need to get started right away. The next day, they are complaining about the details of an expense report or proposal, and delaying the project by weeks. You are asked to help organize and run a project, then you find out in the meeting minutes of another meeting, which you were not invited to, that you have been replaced, no reason given.
I used to take this stuff personally before, but now I see it as part of the Undesirable Effects of a broken system. These parts of the corporation are so out of alignment, that if you are trying to improve the system, then sooner or later, you must experience the Jekyll and Hyde effect.
The only ones that might be free of it are the ones who are flying under the radar. They are not trying to improve the system, but they are trying to survive. They don't want the rewards and recognition of trying to lead or make things better, because they also don't want the punishment and abuse that comes with it.
Ah, well, as Eli said, if you want a comfortable life, get a hammer and hit yourself on the head. After that, you will get a comfortable bed, and someone will periodically will get you your food and wipe up the drool. Do you work for (or with) Jekyll & Hyde, Inc.?
We have established, through past blog entries, that I feel that management of most of these corporation are moving all over the place, with very few of them actually moving in the same direction. This is due to their local measures, which drive them to have different, and often conflicting, behaviors. No where is this more evident in the improvement role.
At GM, I found myself threatened with demotion one day, and then receiving a corporate award for excellence or innovation the next. Of course, this two behaviors occurred from different parts of the organization. It doesn't always work out they way. I have won an award when I was on someone's s@#t list, and the presentation was done in private, with only a "here" as the verbal accolade. But it was not my boss deciding whether I was worthy of the award. It was another group altogether.
In consulting, and in the internet world, it can become even more frustrating. One day, your client is asking you to get more involved, and demanding that you clear your schedule next week, because they need to get started right away. The next day, they are complaining about the details of an expense report or proposal, and delaying the project by weeks. You are asked to help organize and run a project, then you find out in the meeting minutes of another meeting, which you were not invited to, that you have been replaced, no reason given.
I used to take this stuff personally before, but now I see it as part of the Undesirable Effects of a broken system. These parts of the corporation are so out of alignment, that if you are trying to improve the system, then sooner or later, you must experience the Jekyll and Hyde effect.
The only ones that might be free of it are the ones who are flying under the radar. They are not trying to improve the system, but they are trying to survive. They don't want the rewards and recognition of trying to lead or make things better, because they also don't want the punishment and abuse that comes with it.
Ah, well, as Eli said, if you want a comfortable life, get a hammer and hit yourself on the head. After that, you will get a comfortable bed, and someone will periodically will get you your food and wipe up the drool. Do you work for (or with) Jekyll & Hyde, Inc.?
