Conference 7.286::digital

    We could do a lot by starting on our own selves... if we put emthusiasm
    in performing the job (never  mind what type of job) and making that
    job a perfect one we come up with an accomplishment, with self
    satisfaction.  It is there where all starts, in our own persons. We are
    going through a difficult times these days, no doubt about it, but
    something we should not do is... feel sorry for ourselves, by doing
    that we only get depressed and accomplish nothing, the moral goes down,
    but by seeking a brighter future, brighter times, and while WAITING to
    get there we do the best we can possibly do and hope that our job will
    help accomphish our objectives... we all will feel a lot better! there
    is no job small enough that could survive without out upmost attention.
    Let's fight these "chopy waters" we are in with the best of humor, our
    best disposition and with lots of enthusiam!
    
    This is the best we can do to get moral high, and get the best that all
    can do for the company... (she deserves our loyalty and support!) let's
    help Digital by doing our DARNEST BEST!
    
    Cheers, Ana
    

    
}    In the first, management knows the right way and that's the way it's
}    done.  If you don't like it, don't let the door hit you on your way
}    out.
    
	Through education/example we must change this mentality. When
management has shown this to be true then it can be accepted as gospel.


}    The second is here are our problems what are the solutions, and we can
}    only do it with your help.  
    
	We must stress OUR and WE so that we can realize we're partners for the
long haul and must pull together as the competition is our enemy not ourselves..



	DEC has some of the best people in the industry or we wouldn't be where
we are, pulling together as one we make a tough competitor for others in the
industry. So as the old saying goes....

		Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
	

    I have become convinced that management, like beauty lies in the eye of
    the beholder.
    
    If you expect your boss to be iron-fisted, you may never notice s/he
    isn't.  If this has been your only job since getting out of school, you
    may not know the difference between receiving orders and receiving a
    challenge.  
    
    There is nothing that assures that people who are able to write in
    notes conferences are also able to perceive the world around them
    accurately.
    
    I am sure that some of the so-called 'management abuses' exist.  I have
    seen some of them.  But, guess what.  The managers involved were often
    just as confused or paranoid as the troops.
    
    Bottom line, I am convinced that most of our managers, like most of our
    non-managers, are human beings, trying to do their best according to
    their understanding of their environment.
    
    The minority of managers, like the minority of non-managers, are taking
    far too much of our time and energy.
    
    Providing accurate information and debunking rumors should be part of
    what we use this network for.  Playing 'can you top this management
    atrocity?' should not be.  I hope we can tell the difference.
    
    Regards,
    
    Dick

    I think there is alot of devisiveness in the company and the reasons
    are many.  Some are: 1) Organizations are goaled differently and the goals
    of one organization do not enhance or even coexist with the goals of
    another organization. 2) One organization uses another organization as
    a scapegoat to save face.  3) The way we are physically configured is
    not codusive to teamwork. 
    
    I think we need to set up customer teams.  For larger customers, have
    most people involved housed in the same office and goaled the same. 
    With smaller customers you can do the same thing pretty much although
    you will have more customers in your base.  I think decentralization
    will help in doing what needs to be done.  
    
    Another thing is that we spend too much time covering ourselves and
    measuring ourselves.  I've seen a system developed which are designed
    solely for tracking work.  The worst part of this particular example is
    that the system is highly inaccurate.  I think that if we are set up as
    customer teams, the nonperformers will be taken to task by their fellow
    team members.
    
    These are just some ramblings which have been going through my mind as
    of late.
    
    Regards,
    
    Mike   

    Before someone judges all situations by the tenor of this notes file,
    I would remind you that fewer than 5% of DEC employees have ever
    entered a response in this file.
    
    Dont' get me wrong, DEC has its problems and the metrics we use to
    establish objective criteria are indeed one of them.  But if things
    were as bad as some people state it is in this notes file, I wonder
    why we still have 125,000 employees.  As someone mentioned elsewhere
    we are not chained to our desk or jobs, many of us (but probably not
    all of us) could get new positions elsewhere paying an equal or better
    salary.  We do not chose to go, and most do not chose to respond to
    the wailing of the discontented.  It does not mean that DEC could not
    be a much better place to work, but frankly only I can make it better
    for myself and the people around me, and only you can make it better
    for yourself and the people around you.
    
    Take responsibility and make others do the same, it will help make a
    difference!  Use the contacts you have made and what ever else is
    necessary to do your job just a little better each day.  With each
    small improvement you will see a better place to work.
    
    IMHO  Paul N.

Some years ago, I was attending a course dinner in Munich. The original
agreement was that the total sum for the meal should be split equally
between all 22 participants. Unfortuenately, some of the participants had
not arrived when the deal was made.

When it was credit-cards-up-please time, two of them objected strongly to
the "divide by 22" scheme. "They had cost control". "They were measured by
their expenses". Etc.  So we got out the detailed bills and started
arguing and calculating (no we didn't have DECchart). ;-). 2 hours later
the restaurant was closing, and no agreement on cost split had been reached,
but it had become clear that the variation between the individual bills would
be no more than 10 DM.

Then the course instructor got up: He banged his AMEX onto the table and yelled
at the arguing group: Who CARES ? Ken pays anyway in the end ! I'll pay the
whole fucking bill ! Get outa' here !

Well, that should illustrate something: We have internal procedures and metrics
and we have to spend a lot of time juggeling these metrics to look as good as
possible in the organisation. But in the end, these efforts are only counter
productive for the organisation. The shareholders really don't care which cost
center a dinner-for-22 in Munich was charged through. Although the instructors
manager might have had a hart attack (for all I know) over the bill ! He may
even have sacked the instructor or (maybe worse) demanded  that he cover the
bill out of his own pocket ! :-(

Since 1985 I really feel that in order to meet goals (and get promotions),
Employees have to spend more and more time on metrics, and less and
less time on real work. That tends to frustrate people, espesially people
who are proud of their work. It also tends to get the skilled "metrics
jugglers" promotions and keep the real workers down in the ranks.

-"So, you worked 14 hours a day seven days a week on THE PROJECT for a full
half year, the air stewardesses started addressing you by first name, your
wife and kids started addressing you by last name, but you landed THE PROJECT
on time, within budgets and to the customers great satisfaction. So what
happens ? Your manager gets promoted, but you get rated "Requires Improvement"
because:

-"You have been acting very tensely towards your co-workers the last
half year, also you didn't show up on any of the group meetings, you have by
far exceeded the travel budget (forgetting to mention that you have also
significantly contributed to the district exceeding the revenue budget) and
you have been very untimely in filling in your travel claims and time
reporting forms. Maybe you would consider going to a Thinking Styles
and possibly a Time Management seminar ?"

(The quote is authentic, fortuenately it was not delivered to me, or else I
would have been laid off on the grounds of violent and dangerous behaviour).

Now that is MOTIVATION ! 

    I really liked what Dick wrote a couple of replies back. We are all doing
    the best we can within many parameters. I would like to do more and
    often take "risks" outside of my comfort zones. Sometimes it works
    and sometimes it does not. I think that I am very lucky because each
    failure encourages me to try another way. 
    
    A lot of people that I know have a major problem with failure and
    resort to blaming everything around them. I have not found a topic
    in this file that has not given someone a "window of complaint". Be
    it car schemes, health plans, managment etc. It become a bit too
    much to swallow after a while. We all get dealt a hand of cards
    in life. It is how we play them that makes the difference.
    
    A base rule of thumb in business is to avoid spending 95% of your
    time on 5% of the problems. I am convinced that if you look for
    a problem you will find one, and if you look for a solution you will
    find one. This file seems to attract those who are just looking for 
    problems. Just step back and read and it soon becomes clear.
    
    The previous note needs to be removed due to the profanity present
    but it is a classic example of how a group can perform. The solution was
    not to force everyone to be the same. Just deduct the money of those
    who wanted to pay their exact dues and divide the rest by those
    who wanted to simply split equally.      
    
    This file is full of very good information. I only wish that I could
    reach all of the "angry" contributors and get them to "Think
    Solution!".
    
    regards
    
    Eric H.
                                   

    re .7

    I wouldn't worry about the profanity. It's what the instructor said,
    after all. (I'd agree if it were .6 expressing a personal viewpoint.)

    re .6

    I used to think that hard work, caring about your workers or co-workers,
    dedication, accomplishment -- these were all you needed to get ahead.
    But, I found, the real reason I got ahead was I worked for managers who
    took an interest in my work.

    Maybe the problem around here is that people take more interest in
    metrics than in people's work. And why? Because *metrics* are how we
    measure (and reward) success. It doesn't matter whether K.O. thinks that
    way or not, by the time things make it down to the bottom the original
    vision is lost.

    Well, I always hear the clamoring for "objective" reviews. Well, guess
    what, *that's* what metrics give you. We'd do better to start clamoring
    for non-objective, subjective, opinionated, and otherwise riddled with
    *personal* observation reviews -- especially of managers!

    Objectivity has caused far more problems than it has cured.

    /Peters

    I hope this note hasn't been construed as a negative note, as it was
    not meant to be.  I for one am lucky and have a manager who is
    understanding and supportive.  What I've seen and heard are from others. 
    (I will admit there have been days that I have been very frustrated
    with the way things have gone and have felt that I want to get out of
    here.) It seems (as someone else said) that we spend 95% of our effort
    doing 5% of the work.  Now I don't know that I'd go that far but it gets 
    the idea across.  It seems to me that we are so bogged down with policies
    and procedures, reports, and measuring things that we've lost sight of
    what NEEDS to be done for the success of the company and to make our
    customers happy.  I think we need to make things much much easier for
    ourselves and for our customers to do business.  I understand that
    there are necessities for the aforementioned items, I just happen to
    think that we have gone way beyond what is needed.  
    
    I also want to see our company be respected by others and a place where
    people want to come to work from other companies.  There has to be an
    effort made to make this happen again as well as apparent.
    
    Lastly, saying if you don't like it leave does not cut it for me.  It
    should be if you don't like it see what can be done to make it better. 
    That's what this note is all about.
    
    
    Regards,

I AM a satisfied DEC Employee - now. I was about to leave the company a year
and a half ago. Leaving the company would have meant a significant boost in
salary. However I desided to stay and I am not at all complaining about my
decision. I am (in mind and soul) a DECie (or maybe you should say DECaddict).

The reason for wanting to leave was that I saw myself and my collegues having
to spend more and more time on juggeling metrics in order to maintain a decent
salary. I saw hard working (and profit generating) collegues beeing frozen out
because they were too outspoken and didn't keep up with the "paper mill".

The reason that I stayed, was the support that I received from collegues and
some managers to go on doing what I did to generate revenue and profit
and quote: "Let us juggle the metrics for you".

In that respect it is pretty clear that the metrics that they offered to
juggle on my behalf were pretty meaningless, and could (if allowed by our
organisation) easily have been substituted by by other means of measurement.
Meaningless metrics are DEMOTIVATING and UNFAIR. So let's get rid of them !
Beeing freed from the MEANINGLESS metrics, I have no objections whatsoever
to be measured on the meaningfull ones.

So yes, I do look forward to going to work in the morning. I do enjoy my work.
I do not have any alarm set to go off at the end of my workday. I just feel
sorry for other employees that are not in a position where they can enjoy
their work.

So let's bring Ken some revenue (the quarter results are out and guess what?
THEY ARE GOOD !@!!! Stock just JUMPED ! So get outa this notes conference
and into VTX instead).

Stein_M

	re .6:

	Beautiful story, Stein! It hits this particular nail RIGHT ON
	THE HEAD. Who could believe a bunch of clever computer experts
	could spoil a good dinner by sitting arguing the toss over 10
	DM for a whole two hours? Who would believe that such clever
	people couldn't get the numbers right in that time?

	Is it possible we are wasting our best efforts in jumping
	through hoops we ourselves have set up? As the old saying
	goes, you can't make a living by taking in each others'
	washing!

	re .7:

>    A lot of people that I know have a major problem with failure and
>    resort to blaming everything around them. I have not found a topic
>    in this file that has not given someone a "window of complaint". Be
>    it car schemes, health plans, managment etc. It become a bit too
>    much to swallow after a while. We all get dealt a hand of cards
>    in life. It is how we play them that makes the difference.

	As one of the complainers, let me explain why I think there
	is so much criticism and complaint in this conference.

	For a start, those of us who complain are probably quite
	strongly motivated to succeed. Otherwise, why would we bother
	to complain? We would be doing something more enjoyable. It's
	all a matter of degree... you say that

	"A lot of people that I know have a major problem with failure and
	 resort to blaming everything around them."

	Well, I believe that all too many people have a problem with
	NOT blaming anyone or anything outside themselves. As something
	of a perfectionist myself, it wasn't until I was about 30 that
	I realised that I was NOT to blame for everything that went wrong.
	This belief is a good way to an early grave.

	If someone asks me to run the fastest 100 metres I can, I am
	prepared to do my best. I will wear light clothes, try to find
	a pair of spiked shoes and starting blocks, and run on the best
	track I can find - in good weather. If I run 13 seconds, OK. Now
	if they say "You didn't break 10 seconds, you're no good", I'm
	already going to get a bit frustrated. Only a dozen men have
	ever done that!

	But if I am being compared with others, and they are running on the
	flat while I am running up a 30 degree slope - then I start to get
	mad.

	Why do we have a lot of complaints in here? Why don't these
	negative whining people just shape up, make a plan, and get
	on with it? Often because they think the problem is too big,
	or it's an issue they can't address, or because they really don't
	have time. (When I have stopped off what I was doing to address
	what seemed to be a really glaring deficiency, I have been accused
	of "ratholing", so you can't win).

	What else do you expect to get in a conference entitled "The
	Digital Way of Working" at a time like this? To my mind, the
	encouraging thing is that most noters seem to feel that the
	problems they identify could be solved by the right person at
	the right level - although not by themselves.

	The following quote (reputedly from Ken Olsen) which I have
	invoked before, sums my feelings up nicely:

	"In any organization that I run, I am sure that if a party is 
	 frustrated by decisions imposed on them by someone else in the 
	 organization, and if it is impossible for the group on whom it is 
	 imposed to work it out directly, his immediate supervisor would 
	 take over the frustration and have it solved.  If that was not 
	 possible, it would go up to the next level, and that we would 
	 take frustration as being one of the first responsibilities of 
	 any manager.

	 It is only grossly bureaucratic organizations that allow 
	 frustration to continue without raising it to the top and no way 
	 would we ever tolerate a manager who agreed with the frustration 
	 and said, yes, I've always had trouble with that group, too, 
	 because they all know that frustrations have to be brought up 
	 high enough to be satisfied, even if they are brought up to the 
	 very top of the corporation.  Because I hear of none of these, I 
	 am sure there are no frustrations in my organization.  How people 
	 obviously don't always get decisions made the way they plan to 
	 make them isn't frustration.  Frustration is not having questions 
	 raised at high enough a level to get them answered."

	This conference is the place where people air and compare their
	frustrations when the impossible happens and a manager doesn't
	address them appropriately and resolve them.

	/Tom