changing your workplace

March 5, 2006 9:21 PM

Is there anything one person can do to make their environment more of a meritocracy?

At my job, advancement is more a matter of popularity, than actual measured achievement.

The place is very unorganized; there is not much process in place, and a defined career track is non-existant. I know I'll never be the most popular kid on the floor, but I do think I produce good work, and I'd like to get a little recognition for it, beyond the usual "attaboy," that is.

In order for this to ever happen, I think the corporate culture has got to change. Is there anything a non-executive can do?

posted by lilboo to work & money (11 comments total)

think of 'popularity' as achievement then. remember your success is not by your measurement, and the meritocracy does not exist. if you're not being recognized, it's pretty much up to you to fix it. sorry.
posted by kcm at 9:36 PM on March 5, 2006

let me expand a little - you're in the game now, and while you can't change it to fit your definition of 'successful', you can revel in beating them at their own game. that fake guy that just got the promotion you wanted? out-fake him, pull a meta-fake-out. enjoy it. I don't really advocate being fake at work or at home, but be yourself while beating them at their own game.

even if you're out to built the best product you can, and be the rock of solid work whenever possible, it's business - look out for yourself first, because you're the only one you should be counting on. the truly rare individuals, and I'm happy to have a lot where I work, are nice surprises when they come along.
posted by kcm at 9:41 PM on March 5, 2006

Popularity is not achievement. This kind of thing is why women and minorities have trouble advancing in some workplaces.

But are you sure that you're not actually being noticed for your work? I know an office manager who was transferred and felt like she wasn't part of the in-crowd at her new office, but her hard work eventually got her promotions and lots of praise from her higher-ups. It took a while, though.
posted by transona5 at 9:46 PM on March 5, 2006

Actually some of these popularity-based promotions have happened for people that I like, however, I also feel that these same folks are being setup for a major failure, and as such, there is more at stake here than just my general job satisfaction.
This place has never realized a profitable year, and we really could go under if more promotions like this are made.
So I really do want to know if the "little guy" can make a difference to a corporate entity - or is it just hopeless, and time to move on before we hit the iceburg...
posted by lilboo at 10:02 PM on March 5, 2006

This place has never realized a profitable year, and we really could go under if more promotions like this are made.

I just want to clarify this, I know there isn't a going to be a direct link between these promotions and our eventual success and/or failure, but it could get messy when it's time to take stock, don't you think?
posted by lilboo at 10:09 PM on March 5, 2006

a lot of people create their own promotions by finding another job ... that may well be your best option
posted by pyramid termite at 10:10 PM on March 5, 2006

What puramid termite sez.

I doubt that meritocracy can be instated in a workplace unless you're a member of the class that gets to make the decisions on who gets a promotion.

If it could be done, it'd be by changing the boss's (or whoever makes the decisions attributed to the boss) mind on who deserves monetary recognition.

Tooting your own horn may end you enemies, but how about making your immediate bosses/supervisors recognize your worth? Say "No" every so often but relent after you've made your boss/supervisor realize the extent of your worth?
posted by PurplePorpoise at 10:22 PM on March 5, 2006

In order for this to ever happen, I think the corporate culture has got to change. Is there anything a non-executive can do?

No.

And frankly, there's very little an executive can do either, short of massive layoffs and starting again with new people.

This story is technically about beauracracies, but over the years I've found that it explains about 99% of what one needs to know about business cultures.
posted by tkolar at 12:00 AM on March 6, 2006

there is nothing one person can do alone to change their workplace. if there are issues in your workplace that are widely felt -- if most of your coworkers feel this favoritism is a problem too -- then you absolutely can change your workplace by forming a union.
posted by crabintheocean at 2:51 AM on March 6, 2006

It is what it is. Don't beat your head against a wall trying to change then environment. It won't happen -- at least from the bottom up.

As others have wisely suggested. either find a way to function without making yourself miserable, or find another job.

Perhaps, in the long-run, you could become self-employed. :)

Good luck!
posted by bim at 4:50 AM on March 6, 2006

Allow me to disagree a bit with previous posters, to the extent that I will say most people in most team environments "know" who the producers truly are, and there is usually at least an informal hierarchy of respect for such individuals. The effectiveness of any organization is, in my experience, greatly predicted by the extent to which management is successful in eliminating any discrepancies between its formal recognition and performance reward functions and the informal performance recognition "hierarchy."

It's true that you, as a worker, are not likely to be effective, by yourself, in creating a bottom up meritocracy, because you don't have control of the formal pay, authority, and recognition mechanisms within your company -- only management has the keys to those systems. But as a member of any organization, you do act, and by acting, you can contribute to the culture change you seek, in ways that can be more fulfilling than trying to learn to game the system.

It can be as simple as completing, for your own sanity, a little experts list, for your own reference. Who in your company is the sales "maven," by which I mean, the person who has all the order processing knowledge, knows the products or services best, and maybe the order and inventory software functionality? That's your sales "go to." Who does accounting? What do they know cold? You may think no one in your company really knows what they are doing, and that may even be true, in a company such as you describe. But I promise you, the people around you do know something, and you start any improvement process by finding out, for sure, what those major areas of knowledge are, and how deep the pools are. Once people find out you are trying to figure out who knows what, and keeping notes, they may become interested in what you're saying, and they may even contribute, if you keep the document public, and positive. And you may find it becomes pretty popular, especially if your organization has a lot of turnover.

Another thing you can do, immediately, is to verbally recognize and sincerely praise "good jobs" when you see them. "Attaboys" from management are one thing, but when a co-worker, who doesn't have to, makes a point of dropping by or calling to say "Great job!" on something, it reinforces the success, and sets up a positive "lessons learned" opportunity. Finding out why someone thinks they succeeded at something, is often pretty instructive in replicating such success. Too often, in small, informal organizations, "lessons learned" exercises, if they happen at all, are only conducted in analyzing problems or failures.

Finally, don't be a part of any negative gossip tree. The "grapevine" exists in any organization, and it is frequently more accurate and faster than the official communication channels, because it doesn't have the legal restrictions and policy overhead of the official channels. When the grapevine is working right, it's great, but it's easily perverted by suspicion, doubt, and partial information. So, when you get something negative off the grapevine, don't give it more credence than it deserves, and don't repeat it as a negative comment, to the extent you can.

Stay positive, don't let yourself become hypocritical, and do your job, while trying to participate in healthy cooperation with coworkers. If things don't improve, move on, and take the skills and experience you've developed to greener pastures.
posted by paulsc at 6:21 AM on March 6, 2006