Rodent Regatta

In an entry titled Organizational Terrorism, Nick Denton says this:

In the turmoil at the Times, there’s a broader implication: organizations are becoming harder to run. The phone, and email, have given managers the illusion that they can control far-flung empires. But modern communications, and the growth of weblogs and web bulletin boards in particular, have also given power to bitter employees. Think of it as the proliferation of weapons to organizational terrorists.

There’s opportunity in this message. The opposite of ”organizational terrorism” would appear to be ”joy in work.” Now we’re faced with a choice of approaches. Do we set about to rid work places of the causes of organizational terrorism, or do we set about to create work places where people can find joy in their work?

Monetary rewards are a way out for managers who do not understand how to manage intrinsic motivation. When joy in work becomes secondary to getting good ratings, employees are ruled by external forces and must act to protect what they have and avoid punishment.

W. Edwards Deming