The Daily Mash....

My working career encompassed written mail, telexes, faxes, and email. 

Without doubt email has done more to screw up productivity than any other "technological advance"

I had the classic one today, one colleague had sent a simple FYI email to me ( 200 miles away so fair enough ) but had also put another colleague in copy who was sitting at the next desk to him. The information was not of a complex nature and could have been communicated very easily verbally in less than ten seconds. Then of course colleague number 2 replies to both of us thanking colleague number 1 for keeping her informed instead of looking up from her desk and just saying that.

Sometimes I think it must be me.

When I get emails that are CC'd to loads of people, I usually just reply to those needing to know.

We have social media style posts from people internally these days - and people say things like "so and so likes this". What's wrong with the phone I say ;-)

I didn't meant to say CC'd.... If I get an email to a big group I don't often reply all. They probably won't read it anyway.

I get about 25 e-mails a day that I need to receive. If I am actually working on a contract at the time, then it could be 5x that. In either case about half need replying to beyond a simple acknowledgement. .

The worker bees are rarely the problem. And when they are the problem, it is usually pretty simple to understand and address, and is almost always the result of poor management. Worker bees normally feel pretty good about themselves because typically they understand what they are doing, like doing it, know more about it than anyone else and try to do it well. Obviously not always, but usually.

Directors/V. Senior Mgmt are not usually the problem. They are usually comfortable in what they do, like to think they do it well, want to do it well, and understand what they are trying to do. When they are wrong, it is usually only a matter of discussing it in a safe environment.

So the top and the bottom of the company normally feel fairly secure, know what's going on and are open to encouragement, suggestion and on occasion penalty.

Then you have the [typically] two tiers of middle management. Typically have no idea or understanding of what the Directors/VSM think or want. This may or may not be their own fault. Because of this they feel insecure.

Typically they have no idea or understanding of the trials and tribulations of actually doing the job in the real world. Again, not necessarily their own fault, although it may be.

Because they neither understand up (Ds/VSM) or down (WBs), but are somehow held accountable by each to explain and motivate the other, they become insecure. They then focus on the most complex thing they understand. Expenses, Time Management, Time Keeping, Reporting, Admin, etc. etc. Thus they can justify themselves to Ds/VSM, exert power over WBs, whilst entirely failing to achieve anything worthwhile.

In particular they completely undermine any potential for change or improvement,since both will involve things they do not understand. However, cost cutting, expense management and redundancy they understand very well and implement mercilessly.

And guess out of all that issue by far and away the most emails? Yup, the two levels of middle management.

And if you are middle management, even if you are a good one, do just glance in the mirror before arguing these points.

Have I ever bored you with my theory of A, B, C etc category managers? Because I will if you wish.