Benjamin:
Sorry but I must put in my two cents here...
That employees feel they can't even be honest on an anonymous survey tells
me they didn't trust your management *that* far. Yikes. And apparently
your management was too obtuse to even recognize that. Double Yikes. When
the only place you can feel safe " bitching and moaning" is behind a
closed door with only one other person so there are no witnesses, that is
a very sad place to be indeed.
/soapbox on
Cowardice is in the eye of the beholder. When you make very good money
and are in a high management position, you can afford to be brave. Even if
you leave, you know another high paying job is just around the corner, and
there are enough savings to get you through in the meantime. When you are
a "grunt", you cannot afford to lose your job and must keep your mouth
shut at all costs. If you lose your job, you and your family suffer until
you find another one. Many brave and honorable people will be dishon
orable at the cost of protecting their family.
I have been reading your posts and up until this one was very empathetic,
and felt your thinking was very solid. But if this attitude typifies
Novell's understanding of its employees, I'm glad I don't work with you or
Novell. If management could take jus t a few minutes to actually
*understand* that employees are people! It's the *work* and *production*
and *money* that needs to be measured. Not people. People come in all
different personalities and kinds and need to be accepted for what/who
they are. W hen your measurements make people feel as if they are being
personally measured, (your offhand comments make me feel that's the case)
of *course* they will lie! So would you -- if you felt a personal attack
or threat just around the corner.
It's one thing to discuss seventeen different theories of measurement, and
quantum mechanics and all the rest of it...but the *point* is...we're
talking about people. And accomplishing goals of the organization with
those people as part of the team. I bel ieve people are the most
important, precious resource we have in this world, and the point is to
help people do the best they can to make the organization meet its goals.
Is a measurement system the most effective way to do that? I think it
depends on the people and the situation. There is no black and white
answer to anything. But I do know that without a basic mutual trust and
respect between employees and management no measurement system in the
world will help you.
/soapbox off
Best regards,
Kelly Sue Plamp
Computer Management Technologies
Ex-Grunt
--"Kelly Plamp" <kellysue@kelly-sue.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>