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A guide to playing the ploys frequently employed by cliché-driven management.
THere is a by certain types of managers in certain types of organizations to manage with maxims and administer with an-tendency exhibited
ecdotes. Their style often consists of a warmed-over serving of the latest business self-help book garnished with an old war story and a side of the patently obvious. Such people can show a remarkable dedication to oversimplification and a common trait of this managerial style is the persistent use of the cliché.
A good cliché has several attributes:
˲ It covers a wide range of human behavior with just a few words.
˲ It sounds specific and focused but doesn’t actually say much.
˲ It favors style over substance, pretence over production, and affect over effect.
˲ It has a veneer of truth that makes it plausible and difficult to argue against.
˲ It must suggest a solution to a problem without requiring the person
using the cliché (the cliché-er) to actually invest any energy in implementing that solution.
˲ It should leave the work of resolving the cliché to the unlucky listener (the cliché-ee). This allows any success to be claimed by the cliché-er, while locating the blame for any shortcomings in the implementation firmly on the shoulders of the unfortunate cliché-ee.
How does one defend against cliché-driven management? I have seen whole teams play the “buzzword bingo” game, gleefully tagging the hackneyed slogans of the oblivious manager. I know of senior executives in large companies who are the unwitting source of merriment for whole divisions based on their fine grasp of the obvious and their predictable production of clichés for all occasions.
The use of clichés is usually quite harmless, though it may detract from actually trying real solutions to real problems. There are legitimate defenses against certain clichés, but I must caution readers that some of these defenses use a technique called “humor.” The best humor is shared between the parties involved and reflects the comedy that exists in the situation. Use of a cliché defense as way of publicly poking fun at the person who is responsible for your continued employment has its perils.
ILLUSTRATION BY MARIA SChNEIDER
The Cliché: “Do it Right the first Time” Much of the business of software involves the discovery of what we are supposed to be doing. In a true discovery activity, it is only possible to not make
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