I came across an interesting book on organisation behaviour which was trying to prove that although we have advanced in technology and in social and political behaviour, our management practices have not changed much over the last 100 years or so.
Perspective
We still work in a pyramid type hierarchial organisations. No matter how much the world is going flat, our organisational hierarchies aren’t. The advance of technology has allowed the world to come close to each other, but the gap between the top executive and the workers hasn’t reduced. It doesn’t even matter that the world has rejected dictatorship and authoritative regimes enmasse, democracy is still seen as a threat in ‘modern’ organisations.
The orders still flow from top to bottom and everyone has to comply. All decisions regarding strategy and management are percolated down the ladder, without involving people who will execute the strategy. Moreover, there is hardly any reverse feedback. The workers still work in assembly line mode and perform specific task mechanically without trying to understanding the ‘why’. This is probably from the time of Henry Ford. An important aspect of the pyramid structure is that the employees are not considered worthy of trust and are treated as resources - dispensable after use.
The system holds on
Although, most of us do not work in a manufacturing unit, still, we can relate to it. We the ‘knowledge workers’ are working under similar if not the same managerial controls. We are required to do only a certain kind of task repeatedly. It doesn’t matter whether we have engineering and management degrees with us. We are still not treated as responsible adults - the bags are frisked before you leave office.
You are expected to do only a specific kind of task mechanically without questioning the company policy. You need to take permissions for every additional thing you intend to do. You are to file a report for the time you spend in the office. You are expected to come at a certain time and cannot modify your schedule as per your convenience or the way you think it would be best to execute the project. The results are a second priority control is the first.
I believe bureaucracy and dictatorship are hallmarks of the pyramid system where someone else decides for you. I think, in such a system, employees often work under fear and intimidation of the bosses rather than out of a sense of fulfillment of the job.
To cite an instance, at my earlier job, there was an internal academy to train the workforce to meet project requirements. Every aspect of the academy was micro-managed by the corporate executive and every program was decided on behalf of employees. I, being a fresher, found the atmosphere repulsing as I saw the managers treating all the employees as small kids rather than adults. It was like going back from college to kindergarten again. You even needed to ask permissions to drink water! and had all these security cameras all over your head to monitor your mischievous activities.
At one of the town hall meetings (large meetings where employees talk to bosses) I had the naivety of questioning the Vice President of the multi billion dollar company on why don’t we give more freedom to employees, allow them to at least learn whatever they want in an academy, and take up roles that is based on their interest in the organisation. I got that you-prove-it-you-are-a-kiddie look and an answer that the money company spends on employees is to achieve its end goal (read profit) and everyone has to work in a mission mode. In other words, company has a lease on your soul since it employs you. I disagreed and resigned soon after as i didn’t find the job fulfilling. I realised that the same behaviour transcends most organisations.
To be continued………
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