Bowling Alone: Who is responsible for the health/incompetence of an organization?
Is it the hourly wage earners, middle management, or the owners/upper management?
(Hint: It's always always always ownership/upper management.)
No matter what the size of a company, there are almost always three levels of personnel: the lowly front line workers, who do most of the hands on work and the dealing with the public and are often times paid based on hours worked, not salary. Then comes middle management, whose job is to manage the front line troops and keep the day to day operations running smoothly and efficiently. The last and most important group, obviously, is upper management, which in most cases is also the ownership (whether through stock or privately held companies). These folks are responsible for big picture thinking and not so much the daily operations, while still being accountable for everyone under their care.
Whenever I have a problem that can't/won't be addressed by someone at a company, I do my very best to hold my tongue and simply ask to see their manager. This works pretty well when dealing with folks over the phone or certain other situations. I'm faaaaaaar from perfect and have often times lost my temper when dealing with an incompetent, but do my best to simply ask a simple question when confronted with ignorance/obstinance: "Can I talk to your boss?"
The problems come about when middle management is also incompetent.
When a man or woman is promoted from the ranks of the front line hourly wage earners into a management position, it should be a because they were doing a good job at their last position AND u.m./ownership believes them capable of leadership. Not as some reward for longevity or any other reason other than that they have the capacity to manage other people and succeed in their new job.
Problems seem to come about when middle management can't do their jobs effectively. I try to never hold it against a company when their front line staff aren't so great.
It IS hard to find folks who, for $10/hour, will be polite and accomodating when placed in stressful situations. For example, I used to work in a seafood restaurant, and the hardest hourly job, day to day, in the place was hands down the waitress/server positions. We cooks could be back in the kitchen picking our noses all day and wearing the same smelly t-shirt all week; it didn't matter. Our sole responsiblity was to cook the damn food, and cook it well. The servers job was to 1) deal with us slobs in the kitchen, oftentimes by kicking a little fry cook ass in a threatening tone of voice 2) deal politely and efficiently with the customers, who couldn't care less about the, as I said, nose picking slobs in the back. What a balancing act, and a hard one to pull off.
Back to my point about incompetent middle management. And even u.m./ownership. If you run up against an owner who doesn't give a damn, then the only option is to vote with your feet and leave the premises, never setting foot in the place again or spending dollar one there.
Several years ago, I worked for a mental health agency (what?.....that's funny?....what makes you think that Apt404 members can't work in a mental health agency?....frankly, I'm offended at your giggling.) as what was called an In-Home Support Worker. My job was to provide recreational opportunities for folks, ironically, outside the home. And this one wonderful woman who not only was dealing with mental illness but the early stages of dementia LOVED to go bowling. So we'd go bowl a game, maybe two, at one of the local alleys here in the Portland area. She got a huge kick out of it and I thoroughly enjoyed her company (this is some time before I swore off all human contact. Hey, it was pre 9-11, man.) But I remember the guy behind the desk would usually roll his eyes when we walked through the door every week. I just wrote it off as some unhappy dude working a job he hated. I could relate and thought nothing of it.
Until one afternoon when my client and I came in, bowled one string each, and went up to the front desk to pay our five bucks or whatever it was. And this same guy looked pained. I remember that he tried his best at sarcasm when I handed him my scoresheet: "Ya want this framed?" or something equally not funny was what he said. I stood there for a second, took it in, then politely asked to see his manager. He said not only that he was the manager, but the owner as well.
At this, I said nothing but "well...thanks" and turned around and walked out with my client. What do you say to the owner of a joint who makes it his business to be rude and condescending to paying, loyal customers who obviously are small timers and no threat to anyone? You say and do nothing. You simply leave.
And to this day, I get a chuckle whenever I pass that bowling alley.
Because I know that I can always count the number of cars in the parking lot with the fingers on one hand.
And I do not consider my thumb a finger.
(Hint: It's always always always ownership/upper management.)
No matter what the size of a company, there are almost always three levels of personnel: the lowly front line workers, who do most of the hands on work and the dealing with the public and are often times paid based on hours worked, not salary. Then comes middle management, whose job is to manage the front line troops and keep the day to day operations running smoothly and efficiently. The last and most important group, obviously, is upper management, which in most cases is also the ownership (whether through stock or privately held companies). These folks are responsible for big picture thinking and not so much the daily operations, while still being accountable for everyone under their care.
Whenever I have a problem that can't/won't be addressed by someone at a company, I do my very best to hold my tongue and simply ask to see their manager. This works pretty well when dealing with folks over the phone or certain other situations. I'm faaaaaaar from perfect and have often times lost my temper when dealing with an incompetent, but do my best to simply ask a simple question when confronted with ignorance/obstinance: "Can I talk to your boss?"
The problems come about when middle management is also incompetent.
When a man or woman is promoted from the ranks of the front line hourly wage earners into a management position, it should be a because they were doing a good job at their last position AND u.m./ownership believes them capable of leadership. Not as some reward for longevity or any other reason other than that they have the capacity to manage other people and succeed in their new job.
Problems seem to come about when middle management can't do their jobs effectively. I try to never hold it against a company when their front line staff aren't so great.
It IS hard to find folks who, for $10/hour, will be polite and accomodating when placed in stressful situations. For example, I used to work in a seafood restaurant, and the hardest hourly job, day to day, in the place was hands down the waitress/server positions. We cooks could be back in the kitchen picking our noses all day and wearing the same smelly t-shirt all week; it didn't matter. Our sole responsiblity was to cook the damn food, and cook it well. The servers job was to 1) deal with us slobs in the kitchen, oftentimes by kicking a little fry cook ass in a threatening tone of voice 2) deal politely and efficiently with the customers, who couldn't care less about the, as I said, nose picking slobs in the back. What a balancing act, and a hard one to pull off.
Back to my point about incompetent middle management. And even u.m./ownership. If you run up against an owner who doesn't give a damn, then the only option is to vote with your feet and leave the premises, never setting foot in the place again or spending dollar one there.
Several years ago, I worked for a mental health agency (what?.....that's funny?....what makes you think that Apt404 members can't work in a mental health agency?....frankly, I'm offended at your giggling.) as what was called an In-Home Support Worker. My job was to provide recreational opportunities for folks, ironically, outside the home. And this one wonderful woman who not only was dealing with mental illness but the early stages of dementia LOVED to go bowling. So we'd go bowl a game, maybe two, at one of the local alleys here in the Portland area. She got a huge kick out of it and I thoroughly enjoyed her company (this is some time before I swore off all human contact. Hey, it was pre 9-11, man.) But I remember the guy behind the desk would usually roll his eyes when we walked through the door every week. I just wrote it off as some unhappy dude working a job he hated. I could relate and thought nothing of it.
Until one afternoon when my client and I came in, bowled one string each, and went up to the front desk to pay our five bucks or whatever it was. And this same guy looked pained. I remember that he tried his best at sarcasm when I handed him my scoresheet: "Ya want this framed?" or something equally not funny was what he said. I stood there for a second, took it in, then politely asked to see his manager. He said not only that he was the manager, but the owner as well.
At this, I said nothing but "well...thanks" and turned around and walked out with my client. What do you say to the owner of a joint who makes it his business to be rude and condescending to paying, loyal customers who obviously are small timers and no threat to anyone? You say and do nothing. You simply leave.
And to this day, I get a chuckle whenever I pass that bowling alley.
Because I know that I can always count the number of cars in the parking lot with the fingers on one hand.
And I do not consider my thumb a finger.
posted by joe sweeney at 5:34 AM
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