Conference 7.286::dcu

662.0. "Goodbye Digital" by PLOUGH::KINZELMAN (Paul dtn223-2605) Fri Apr 30 1993 12:01

   I have  decided to leave Digital.  This was one of the hardest decisions
   I've  ever  had  to make.  I've worked here for almost 19 years and have
   had the privilege of working with some really great and brilliant people
   in  all  disciplines  including management and engineering.  I will miss
   the many friends I've made here. 

   Each morning  for  almost  the entire 19 years, I have come to work as a
   team  player  ready  to  make  a  positive  contribution to the company.
   However,  I  no longer feel that my contributions can make a difference.
   I  feel  that  I am a team player on a team with coaches who do not care
   about the players nor even about the game being played.  Digital has run
   out of appendages to shoot itself in.

   As an  engineer, I am trained in problem solving.  I identify a problem,
   break  it  into  its  many  parts  and solve it.  I've become aware of a
   significant  management  problem  at  Digital --- Digital management has
   chosen  to  disempower  its  worker  bees instead of empowering them and
   leading them.

   There are  good  managers but there are not enough at a sufficient level
   to  make a significant difference.  Fortunately, my local management has
   been good, but that's not enough.  Let me preface the rest of my memo by
   saying  that when I criticize management, I really mean the bureaucratic
   managers, not the good managers.

   Programs like  "valuing  differences",  "six sigma", and "open door" are
   meaningless  without  more than lip-service support by upper management.
   Management supports the form but without substance.

   I have  attempted  to solve specific parts of the problem but because of
   management's  obstinacy,  I  cannot.   I can only come to the conclusion
   that  management does not want it solved or refuses to believe there's a
   problem. The emperor has no clothes.

   My message  to  management  is...   please  do  not  make the mistake of
   dismissing me as an isolated, disgruntled employee.  My past reviews and
   ratings  demonstrate  my  committment  to  the  success  of the company.
   Furthermore,  this memo has been reviewed and fully supported by many of
   my  colleagues.   I  will  bring  my  energy  and committment to another
   company where I hope to be able to again make a positive difference.

   A "SUCCESSFUL  COMPANY"  MODEL
   Everyone working  in  a  company  needs  to understand that managers and
   worker  bees  must  be  partners.  Each *needs* the other in order to be
   successful.   Management  and  worker bees hold certain responsibilities
   toward each other.  

   WORKER BEES,  in  addition  to  producing  work  for  the  company,  are
   responsible  for  elevating problems when they arise.  They have to make
   their managers aware of conditions and circumstances that prevent worker
   bees from doing their job.

   MANAGEMENT is  responsible  for  solving  problems in a constructive way
   without  "shooting the messenger", without targeting the employee as the
   problem,  and  without  employing  personal  retribution.   Each manager
   should  first  assume  that  the  system, and not the worker bee, is the
   problem.   Not  just anyone can be a manager.  Managers must be leaders.
   It  takes  a  person  with  skill,  commitment and personal integrity to
   facilitate  this  process  in an honest and effective way.  Managers who
   can't  or  won't  do this are useless bureaucrats who have destroyed the
   morale of Digital.

      "A company  that operates using fear, positioning top management
      against  workers  and  middle  management  against  both, cannot
      produce  the  continual  improvement  in  quality  necessary  to
      compete in the marketplace."
					-Dr. Deming

   HUMAN RESOURCES  (personnel  and strategic resources) is responsible for
   helping  work  out  problems  between management and worker bees.  Human
   resources   is   supposed   to   be  the  grease  that  facilitates  the
   management/employee relationship. 

   DIGITAL'S MODEL
   My experience  has  shown  me  that  this model doesn't exist in Digital
   today.   Human  resources  seems to believe that their job is to contain
   problems,  not  solve  them.   This  whole  process  is  reactionary and
   dysfunctional.   I  see  no indication that upper management understands
   the  partnership  concept.   From  my  experience, employees do not feel
   respected  by  management, but management does not care.  Key people are
   leaving.  It's so sad to see Digital decomposing before my eyes and I am
   powerless  to  stop  it.  What Digital needs most desperately is morale,
   management credibility, and management integrity.

   For example,  during  the  campaign  to  remove  the  previous  board of
   directors  of  the  Digital  Credit  Union,  human  resources  supported
   management's  retribution  against employees who challenged the existing
   board  of  directors.   Management  in  general  and the human resources
   department   in   particular   clearly  has  fundamental  integrity  and
   competency problems. 

   And when  employees  spoke  out  about smoking causing legitimate health
   problems,  retribution against these employees was supported all the way
   to  the  top  of the human resources organization.  All too often when a
   worker  bee  has a problem with management, personnel chooses to support
   management.   Things  told  to  personnel  in  confidence  are  not kept
   confidential.  Again, there is a fundamental lack of integrity with this
   process.  The open door policy is a sham.

   For years I have unofficially attempted to function as a liaison between
   management  and  workers  bees  who  are getting nowhere with issues.  I
   became  aware  of  significant management problems in Digital.  Over the
   last  two  years,  I  have  begged  Jack Smith to address the management
   crisis.  I've given him ideas that he admitted were good:

      -	Have subordinates contribute to their managers' reviews 	
      -	Appoint an independent and credible ombudsman
      -	Establish an open door policy that works
      -	Establish a process for employees to meet directly with 
        upper-level managers like Jack Smith or Bob Palmer.

   Jack Smith  even  came  up  with  the  idea  of having ELECTED open door
   managers.   I  have  yet to see any progress whatsoever on even a single
   issue.

   On the  other  hand,  Jack  Smith was responsible for not allowing us to
   order  paper  and  toner for laser printers on revenue critical projects
   (so what are we supposed to do?), but last December, some upper managers
   have  received  forty-thousand  dollar  "incentives"!  I cannot state my
   source  because  of  my  source's  fear  of retribution.  The Titanic is
   sinking and management is polishing doorknobs.

   When Bob  Palmer  recently  spoke  to a specially selected audience at a
   breakfast  meeting,  he  made  a  strong  commitment  to management with
   integrity.  The notes I saw attributed to Bob the following statement:

	"One can be any place on the IQ scale but only one place on
	 the integrity scale."

   He also  made  a  committment to make management competent:

	"Our biggest obstacle to success is the resistance of our
	 leadership."

   Bob's April  27  address  contained  a  few  words at the end concerning
   values and integrity.  Again, more words, but no substance.  And why was
   the  live  presentation  not  open  to  all employees and why doesn't he
   accept  unfiltered,  real-time questions? Again, to date, I've seen *no*
   actions  that  would  indicate  to  me  that  he is following through on
   solving  the crisis of management.  All changes I've seen deal with FORM
   rather  than  SUBSTANCE.   I requested a meeting with Bob but was turned
   down.   My  application  for  VP of Ethics, to start with no increase in
   salary,  was  ignored,  and  then  later  my request to be Ombudsman was
   turned down.

   Bob has  appointed  Win Hindle to be the VP of Ethics and seems to think
   that by delegating this vital responsibility, the problem is being taken
   care of, but he is sadly mistaken.  I met with Win Hindle to discuss the
   lack of management credibility and integrity.  As far as I can tell, Win
   has  blind  trust in the Human Resources function and hasn't a clue that
   the  Human Resources function might have fundamental integrity problems. 

   Just what  is  the  purpose  of the ethics office? We don't know.  I can
   think of the following questions for Win as VP of Ethics:
       - Precisely what is the charter of the Ethics Dept?
       - Is it concerned about fair treatment of employees? 
       - Who defines what our ethics are?
       - Who determines if we are sticking to them?
       - Why doesn't every single Digital employee understand exactly 
         what is expected of him/her in the way of ethics?
       - Why is the official focus on external ethics?

   I offered  to  be  the corporate ombudsman because I believe I have more
   credibility  with  employees  than  management  has.  Win Hindle said no
   because I "don't trust management".  He just doesn't get it.

   As I  write  this,  somebody  has  forwarded  me  a notice of an "Ethics
   Program Manager" opening, one of whose duties is to:
	"Establish standards and processes that provide employees worldwide
	with  the means to raise ethical issues and questions and receive a
	timely and honest response."

   It does  sound  like  just what is needed.  But, how will management use
   this  position  to  earn  the  trust and respect of employees? Will they
   attempt  to  pay  it lip service by hiring someone from their own ranks?
   Anybody  from  management,  and especially from personnel, will not have
   credibility.

   THE DIGITAL CREDIT UNION

   I feel  proud that I was able to participate in the replacement of DCU's
   previous board of directors and in the election of a more representative
   and  effective  board. DCU is now a much stronger and more communicative
   credit  union than what existed under the previous board.  Good decision
   making resulted in a turnaround of the "morale" of shareholders.

   I had  always  thought  that high level managers were the most qualified
   people  to  be  on a credit union's board of directors.  In the last few
   years, I've seen the fallacy of my belief from the results of high level
   managers  running  the  board  of  the  credit  union as well as running
   Digital.   I  have  learned  that  being on the board requires primarily
   integrity  and  common  sense.   Some directors clearly need a financial
   background,  but  it's  essential  that  many directors have backgrounds
   other than financial and other than high level management.

   I just  wish I could also have participated in the revitalization of the
   management  of Digital, but at this point, I no longer have hope that it
   will  happen  here.   Digital will probably continue, but I don't see it
   becoming a reasonable place to work again.

   IF YOU DO HAVE A PROBLEM OR AN ISSUE, MAY I SUGGEST:

   1.  Keep  a  daily log of everything that happens concerning your issue.

   2.  In meetings, take copious notes or, better yet, record them.

   3.  Keep impeccable documentation.  Save all communications (mail, notes
       from meetings or conversations)

   4.  Keep a backup copy of everything at home.

   5.  Remember  that you have the power to go someplace else.  (Even ducks
       are smart enough to fly south in the winter :-)

   6.  Always  do your best and remain committed to your job for as long as
       you are here.

   7.  Speak  up  verbally  and  electronically.  Refuse to be squashed.  A
   bureaucrat's  power  depends on his control of the communication process
   and of isolating "troublemakers".

   8.  Find and unify with other people in the same situation.

   9.  Consider that maintaining a high profile can be a good thing because
   management will know that any threats will not be kept secret.

   In summary,  I  don't  feel very positive about Digital now.  I've truly
   done  my  best to identify credibility and integrity problems to the top
   in  order to help turn the company around, but the folks at the helm are
   committed  to  allowing  the  bureaucrats to continue to do what doesn't
   work.   I  can  point  to  no  action  that  would  indicate  to me that
   management  is  willing  to  make the tough choices required to turn the
   morale  and management of this company around.  The people who didn't do
   it  under  Ken,  are  not  going to do it under Bob.  There are some new
   faces, but I haven't seen any difference yet.

      "The significant  problems  we face cannot be solved at the same
      level of thinking we were at when we created them."
					- Albert Einstein

   They just don't get it.

<<<<<-This note  may be forwarded to any Digital employee provided the ->>>>>
      full text and header are retained.

To those folks who might be inclined to ask about my future at DCU, let me
say that the posting of my goodbye note so soon after the meeting was not
really planned - it was a coincidence of finding another position and
of completing the composition of the message.

I have said that I would resign from the board if I left DEC. That was
primarily because of the major amount of time I spent on DCU topics last
fall and earlier this year. However, now things have settled down a bit
and I see DCU issues taking less time than they did the first year. I
am currently inclined to stay on the board for a little while anyway
to see how difficult the logistics will be of participating from California.

I am also inclined to stay on the board until we achieve resolution on
the membership bill of rights bylaw changes because I was the primary
author. The approval issue is being worked with NCUA as we speak (they are
not legally binding on DCU as of yet).

    Thanks for all you've done for DCU (and Digital). I'm really glad
    you'll be staying on the BoD. Once you get settled in let us know
    your new Email address. (I'm assuming you'll have one.) We'll make
    sure you are kept up to date with the latest DCU issues. You can
    count on that. :-)

    			Alfred

You will be missed - greatly.  You have provided hope and helped
many a poor DECie who needed help to solve the DEC Triangle
of Confusion.  Best of luck in your future job.

	- mark

:-(

Paul:

Best of luck in your new job, and thanks for everything
you've done while at Digital.   You will be greatly
missed, at least by many of us worker bees.

Now I am depressed...

./chris

While I, too, am depressed that Paul is leaving, and wondering how this bodes
for the rest of us, I think this will be a great thing for the rest of us.  While
remaining a member of DCU, Paul will be able to experience first-hand the level
of service provided to people who are not Digital employees, and people who do 
not have easy branch access.

By doing this, he becomes the first director to not be a Digital employee.  
Although he was not elected for this purpose, he would be my first choice to 
do the job.

Thanks, Paul!

Elaine

Paul,

You may be gone, but you will NOT be forgotten.  All the DCU members owe you
more than we could ever repay.

Bob

Thanks much for the thoughts. Keep speaking out too. That way DEC management
will not be able to stick their heads in the sand and write me off as an
isolated, minor irritation.

Thanks for being the voice for many.......I to
have been seriously considering leaving DEC....I have
been unhappy for a long time and am tired of trying
to fight the politics!!!  You have given me courage
to pursue other opportunities - I struggled with 
leaving after close to 9 years here but if you can leave 
after 19 years....so can I.  I currently looking at
companies CLOSER to home - both my husband and I are
tired of my long commute especially on my salary
(Admin. Secretary).  

Good-Luck and don't forget - Sometimes you can't change
EVERYTHING but you can change one portion at a time!
You can be proud of all the small changes you 
influenced for the better - all of us appreciated it!


Donna

  There really is no reason why a DCU board member needs to be a DECcie. In
fact, being a non-DECcie has some advantages, one of which is experiencing
first-hand what it is like for a non-DECcie (who is not a DEC consultant
either) to do business with DCU. However, being in CA could be a problem. I
will be curious to see if Paul feels he can match his outstanding performance
at DCU from 3000 miles away. 
  Are there are any other DCU directors who are remote from Maynard?

    
    
    I tried sending Paul some mail today.  the server at tandem doesn't
    know about him anymore.  I never got a reply frmo mail I sent a 
    couple weeks ago.  That's not like Paul.  Does anyone have any
    information?
    
    ed
    

I got mail from him last week.  Perhaps their server is as messed up as ours
are sometimes.

Bob

From:	US2RMC::"[email protected]" "kinzelman_paul" 18-JAN-1995 13:25:26.20
To:	send::kilgore
CC:	
Subj:	Re: You there?

Yes, I've been taking some time off to build and ark and get couples
of animals together. :-)


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