Blog Archives
Dilbert’s and Inter-Continental Balistic Dummies!
Social Media in Organizations
Watching an argument unfold and progress on social media networks is often interesting… With that in mind, it was partly amusing but mostly sad, to follow a childlike and somewhat juvenile spat that took place on Facebook over the weekend. To say that dummies were launched from cots with the force of an inter-continental ballistic arsenal would be a massive understatement.
What started out as a bit of social sparing, quickly developed into something of an electronic blood-bath; the speed of which was only impeded by network constraints, and/or the speed at which participants were actually able to type. This inertia was probably only surpassed by the rate at which individuals blocked certain FB profiles from their ‘friends’ lists!
The differences of opinion were (initially) born out of the after effects from recent redundancies at North Yorkshire Police. In particular those pertaining to staff who used to work, or still do work at the Force Control Room. In simple terms, was it right or wrong to have ‘chosen’ to take redundancy and/or, was it right to have (mostly disparaging) opinions about the ’choice’ or ’opportunity’ taken by others? Whether or not there was actually ‘choice’ in the decisions made by many is another story.
But what many fail to do before joining such a malaise is to think before bashing hell out of their keyboard. No gathering of facts, let alone trying to understand any of those ‘facts’ or how they may affect differing individuals, prior to offering up their particular two-penneth of hissy-fit opinion.
As is often the case in opposing opinions, they have a tendency towards mostly individual and personal impacts. There was little cognisance of the important resulting factors i.e. those having a negative impact upon the capability, efficiency, accountability and public perception of the organisation as a whole.
The mostly myopic self-indulgence and self’-flagilation was even more inane and superfluous when you consider; the almost total absence of any comment on the quality (or otherwise) of service delivery. The negative impacts upon officer safety, staff health and welfare issues, the lack of openness and honesty in management and the often corporate manipulation of the media, ultimately resulting in deceit of the general public, all paled to insignificance during the exchange.
I can fully understand the personal impacts upon those now redundant from their previous employment. What I find wholly difficult to comprehend is the blind allegiance and blinkered views displayed by some who remain. The support displayed by some of those staff for their leadership is admirable, but mostly futile and born out of fear and/or stupidity. A total lack of understanding about the bigger picture. The level of allegiance shown is an underlying factor in many of the past organisational failures. The ability to tow the corporate line is to be applauded to a certain extent however; challenge to it is often required but just as often, sadly lacking.
You may be sat in a well paid job for now but be assured, irrespective of all the sunshine blown up your bum by bean counting managers who thrive upon media sound-bite opportunities, you are little more than a number. Much of your current leadership will continue to beat you with the proverbial stick at will. They still operate in a manner responsible for many of the financial problems faced in today’s public sector and, they are actually the ones responsible for so many of those failures within our current policing system.
Next time you spit a dummy out of your cot, try directing it towards those Dilberts who are constantly shafting you in the interests of their own career advancement. Continually rolling over to have your tummy tickled simply exacerbates the problem!
Related articles
- More ‘Bandaid Management’ in policing! (bankbabble.wordpress.com)
- Social Remains in Policing! (bankbabble.wordpress.com)
More media hype around our social pyjama party?
Jan 27
Posted by Dave Hasney
Image via Wikipedia
Today the BBC reported that a notice has appeared at a social welfare office in Dublin which warns claimants; “pyjamas are not regarded as appropriate attire when attending Community Welfare Service at these offices” (see here).
Two years ago a Primary School Headmaster in Belfast, wrote to parents asking them not to wear pyjamas whilst dropping their kids off at school (see here). In January 2010 a Tesco in Wales asked customers not to shop in their pyjamas (see here) and more recently, in May 2011, a Middlesbrough head teacher asked parents to get properly dressed before the school run (see here). So what’s with this pyjama party thing?
It would seem that wandering around in your night attire during the day is nothing new, at least to some members of our society but one has to wonder; is this apparent love of pyjamas some sort of fashion statement or simply laziness? Further evidence to support the assumption in general that our society is slovenly and really couldn’t care less?
In many respects, the wearing of pyjamas on the school run is simply an opposite polarity of extreme. Does anyone comment or concern themselves with the mother who spends 2-3 hours getting ready for the school run? The “simply couldn’t set off without getting dressed darling” brigade are, in some respects just as bad. Their number is probably just as great as those who really couldn’t give a shit. We have all seen them, the type that couldn’t possibly venture outside without the correct levels of preparation.
They only set off to deposit heir little cherubs for a daily dose of education, once they are convinced all is absolute perfection. They ensure their hair is groomed to excess, their make-up has to be just so and, after carefully selecting the right ‘label’ from their extensive collection of Haute couture, they grab the designer bling handbag and load their be-labeled brats into the Chelsea Tractor.
After the drop off they’re free to shop for the day and “do lunch” with a select group of their effected friends, prior to the daily nuisance of school pick-up at 3.30pm curtailing their activities. You can hear them all on their pink bejazzled iPhones outside the school gate; ”don’t know if I can manage the gym today hon, I need to get to BJ’s coiffure before hitting the town tonight with Hollie-Jo darling. What? Monday? No sorry babes, have to fit my nails in after the sauna and doing lunch with Jessie. I’ll check my sched for next week, laters Mwwwwh!”
Can’t say that I’m particularly keen on either extreme however; as extremes appear to be the the way of our society today, and mostly out way middle of the road normality, I suppose I’ll just have to ignore them!
Related articles
Posted in Media Watch, Our Society, Welfare State
3 Comments
Tags: Chavs, Comment, Culture, Pajamas