management principles
Antonio Huerta
Here are my observations about the principles on which our management
operates.
1. "Keep 'em neither dead nor alive".
The management of our govt lab has the following challenges for
themselves as I see them. From one side, the management needs certain
projects done. But from the other side, the managers do not want to
delegate the responsibility to the underlings and/or wannabe managers,
because they would become important and critical for the existence of
the projects, and thus they would get bargaining power. The management
cannot allow that, because many people feel underappreciated and
underpaid, so that empowering the people would wreck the havoc at the
organisation. However, the projects have to be done. So how do the
managers minimise the 'business risk' ? (Actually, this is one of the
earlier basic principles I shared with you: the managers make the
decision which minimizes the risk, even if it is less cost-effective).
Anyway, the managers just give the task and delegate a little of
resposnibility and power down the chain, and after a while (when the
underling produced a bit of result) they yank this delegation and
power out of the underling's reach. His productivity falls, as he
simply does not have a required authority to do the work. Then the
manager gives a little bit of responsibility and power back to the
underling, and after a while yanks it back. This style of working
keeps most of our projects neither dead nor alive. Of course, the
managers' pet projects get a full attention from the managers and go
steadily ahead.
2. Before, I complained that the management does not delegate me
responsibility and does not empower me. I thought that there was a
'bad' manager somewhere at the top who ordered to other managers under
him that I'd get assigned no projects and would be given no power even
if I was given some task.
Well, now I have realised that there is no such 'central figure'
manager. Every manager makes his own decision about whom to involve
into the project and what amount of power and perks to dole out to
each person. When they chose a person, they look at their reputation,
and act accordingly. For example, I believe, I have had a reputation
"smart but alien". This means that the managers respected my
capability to do the jobs, however they avoided to give me any
projects because I was a "stranger and foreigner who could not be
trusted; not one of us". Unfortunately, nothing can be done about this
attitude of the locals. Only when there is an emergency, and I am
given a project whilst they gnash their teeth, and earn a reputation
that I "actually could do the job", only then the managers start
involve me little by little into their projects. Actually, this is
what I think is happening to me now.
3. This is not really a principle, this is just my observation. I
attained a status of a casual "project leader" with some of the
managers who run projects out of other departments. However, the head
of _my_ department still classifies me as a "technical assistant whom
we hired to do routine jobs for the senior scientist in our
department". I thought the head (and those young 'senior scientists')
would get the idea that I am of a 'manager caste', therefore they
should not touch me. However, they do demand a subservience from me
and give me some particular technical task.
Soon I am getting an intern to supervise... and I got this bright
idea: I will pass all of those routine technical tasks onto my
intern ! That'll teach my 'senior colleagues' that they should not
treat me as an underling and assistant. Each time they give me the
task I will pass it onto him; each time they ask me to give them
account on the completed work, I will send the intern to do that or
make him write a report. (Don't worry for the intern... last year, my
intern confessed that the project I gave to him was the best out what
his peers got.) Such an arrangement will put me out of the power of
my 'senior colleagues' and my supervisor. You see, this'll tip them
off balance, as assistants are not supposed to be other assistants
under them. If my supervisor (together with the 'senior scientists'
who are actually of my age) tries to coerce me, the situation will
push him back. After a while, he will get tired of trying to get on my
back, and will get off me.
Old Pif
>
> Soon I am getting an intern to supervise... and I got this bright
> idea: I will pass all of those routine technical tasks onto my
> intern ! That'll teach my 'senior colleagues' that they should not
> treat me as an underling and assistant. Each time they give me the
> task I will pass it onto him; each time they ask me to give them
> account on the completed work, I will send the intern to do that or
> make him write a report.
>
... as they did it when they were in you position and that is what
your intern will do with his intern. Nothing is new under the sun.
Only amount of dollars keep rising. Some time ago it took 1 person to
multiply 2 by 2, and the answer was always correct. Today it takes at
least 3 guys to do the job and at the end they are not sure.
Antonio Huerta
Antonio Huerta
> On Sep 25, 6:44 am, Antonio Huerta <ahue...@inbox.com> wrote:
>
I already did my slave work when I was a PhD student and in the first
10 years of my 'postdoctoral' work experience. But theeese guys...
they sailed from a PhD into postdoc, and then sailed smoothly from
postdoc into a research scientist position in our lab... nobody
screwed them. I am now at a grade of "junior research scientist". I do
not want to be screwed.
phil scott
you can waste an entire lifetime dealing with such cowards.... my
advice,
become self employed. do research on your own contract.... using
their
labs if they wish. You call all the shots.
I do that with design/ build engineering and consulting... to make
that work
you have to be valuable to them, then at the first sign of an insult,
give noticce.
If you have become truly valuable they will make adjustments... the
approach works
very well with owners, and no doubt not nearly as well with the
corporate fiasco.
accordingly my resume says 'i work only with principles and owners...
no recruiters and
no association with HR)....
Phil scott
Antonio Huerta
> you can waste an entire lifetime dealing with such cowards.... my advice,
> become self employed. do research on your own contract.... using
> their labs if they wish. You call all the shots.
Not everything is so simple. I am currently organising an experiment.
The management gave me such a self-employed contractor in help,
because he has the knowledge for this kind of experiment (I don't).
His advices are really helpful. However, he is always concerned about
getting paid. The management always forgets to renew the scheme under
which the contractors are paid. When we have a meeting about the
experiment design and planning, he is always anxious to please the
management. That's not the kind of life I would like to have. (One
whim from the manager, and you are out.) Yet, I asked him if he wants
a permament position in our lab, and he said "No". This is common with
the consultants subcontructed to us from the other consultant
companies: they say they do not want a permanent position at our lab
even if it gives a security of a permanent employment and a relaxed
lifestyle... and even a higher pay (if take into account the unpaid
overtime they do).
marika
"Old Pif" <Old...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:d360521d-5d08-485c...@c65g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
... as they did it when they were in you position and that is what
your intern will do with his intern. Nothing is new under the sun.
Only amount of dollars keep rising. Some time ago it took 1 person to
multiply 2 by 2, and the answer was always correct. Today it takes at
least 3 guys to do the job and at the end they are not sure.
==========
I feel your pain
mk5000
"Let's see about this ham.
Oh, what happened?
Home spun desperation's knowing
Inside your cover's always blown "--hands away, interpol
marika
"Antonio Huerta" <ahu...@inbox.com> wrote in message
news:c404c807-7bbe-466d...@q26g2000prq.googlegroups.com...
> Dear all,
>
> Here are my observations about the principles on which our management
> operates.
>
> 1. "Keep 'em neither dead nor alive".
>
Operations in shakeup again?
mk5000
"It takes a long time just to get this all straight.
I'll showcase on Route 7 when I find the right place
It takes a long time just to get this all straight
In my mind, this is my free-time"--interpol, obstacle 2
Old Pif
Antonio Huerta
Old Pif, it looks like you cannot stay indifferent to marika...
Old Pif
Yes, there is irresistible sex-appeal in her writings (if she is
indeed she). Especially that nonsense bubbling at the end below the
signature ... It turns me on.
Antonio Huerta
If you look at the marika's profile, you will see that she (or he) has
posted hundreds of postings every month for years. This means that the
content per message is close to zero. It is indeed "nonsense
bubbling".
marika
>Old Pif, it looks like you cannot stay indifferent to marika...
either this is a troll or I've never seen such a downright p** before. how
the mighty have fallen
I'm being civil to him, he's being civil to me. What's your problem with
that?
----- Original Message -----
From: "marika" <marik...@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
alt.philosophy.zen,alt.zen,alt.buddha.short.fat.guy,talk.religion.buddhism,alt.usenet.legends.lester-mosley
Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2008 11:04 AM
Subject: Re: Obama is a Liberal Idiot
>
> "herbzet" <her...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:48C368F6...@gmail.com...
>>
>
>> This is trollery. Well done! Look at all the fish you hooked!
>
>
> neither one of them are what I want as president
>
> mk5000
>
> The government of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sun苓a訃avej is struggling for
> political survival and has handed the military full responsibility for
> tackling the violent insurgency in the Muslim-dominated Deep South, which
> has claimed more than 3,000 lives in
> the past four years.
> Against this backdrop, the military has been left to lead operations in
> the
> Deep South and has made some progress in reducing violent attacks in the
> first half of the year. But the insurgents, well-established and hardened,
> are far from being defeated, and the advances come at a price. The
> "sweeping
> operations" since June 2007 have involved the indiscriminate detention of
> thousands of suspected insurgents and sympathisers, and there are credible
> reports of torture of
> detainees. --http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5640&l=1
>
marika
>
Yes, there is irresistible sex-appeal in her writings (if she is
indeed she). Especially that nonsense bubbling at the end below the
signature ... It turns me on.
=====
why do you imagine I am a guy?
mk5000
"The red lights mean you're leaving
The white one's mean returning
Tell me how this story ends
And I'll keep them fires burning"--headlights look like diamonds, arcade
fire
marika
>If you look at the marika's profile, you will see that she (or he)
I am not spanish. My name is a nickname for Maria, though. Marika is not a
Spanish word. It is a family name, many women in my family have this name
> has
>posted hundreds of postings every month for years.
This means that I can write faster and smarter than you.
This means that I have a skill for which I can get paid.
>content per message is close to zero. It is indeed "nonsense
>bubbling".
What a wonderful compliment from a person whose predominant subject matter
in this thread has been that he is perceived as incompetent at his job. I
feel almost as if I got a gold star or a medal or something.
----- Original Message -----
From: "marika" <marik...@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.philosophy.taoism,alt.usenet.legends.lester-mosley
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 7:48 PM
Subject: Re: taoism and gnostic exegetical acrobatics
>
> "wanderriver" <wande...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:dda62526-7451-4b1d...@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> actually, you'll need fur coats. pay attention to the end of the
> situation, please.
>
>
> ==========
>
> actually my last name translated is furrier I am more prepared than most
>
> mk5000
>
> http://911research.wtc7.net/mirrors/guardian2/wtc/wtc7-debris.jpg
>
Old Pif
>
> >Old Pif, it looks like you cannot stay indifferent to marika...
>
> either this is a troll or I've never seen such a downright p** before.
>
A little bit of both.
Don't worry. Honorable Antonio likes to be provocative. This has been
his stile for many years. We are all friends here.
Old Pif
>
> why do you imagine I am a guy?
>
Could be. How can I possibly be sure?
Hope not. One possible reason for the lack of civility in the Internet
discussions is very low number of female participants. Please, stay,