The company I work for is going through a restructure, but unlike the vast majority of tech companies out there, no one is losing the job. The changes are a reshuffle of one of our departments, splitting the function so they report to different parts of the organization. Yet, despite everyone's role staying the same and no one losing their positions, it is a reminder as to how important a job is in people's identity.
For instance, people tend to define themselves by their professional selves over their personal lives, which is why people ask, "What do you do?" and the reply is career-based, or at a more general level, tell the company that they work for. And, this is also why the biggest changes in life actually come around the retirement age, because it is here that people will tend to "lose" how they have seen themselves for the last forty-odd years.
However, the reminder at the announcement came through the reactions that some people had to the news, which wasn't actually a massive surprise, and the changes do make sense, if looking at the company at a macro level - but most don't. Instead, people look at it through the lens of their role, which is natural - however they also have a confusion which I have mentioned several times over the years, where they think that it is their job.
When working for a company, the employee is filling a company role, the position is owned and defined by the company who pays someone to perform the tasks. Looking at it this way, we are all outsourced workers, contracted to perform accordingly. But, naturally, we start to believe that we own the position that we fill and as such, no one can change it in anyway without our permission. Of course, there are contractual obligations that go each way, but for instance, people tend to complain about a new software tool they are required to use, as if they actually have a choice in the matter.
But, this sense of ownership gets extended outward beyond the role also, so for example, if a role stays identical, but is shifted from one organization to another, people feel that their role has somehow changed, because the name of the organization the report to is different. Remembering that the role itself is the same, including the title being the same, what has changed?
However, these reshuffles do cause some hierarchical headaches for some people, if they adhere to hierarchy at all. The hierarchical structure of this company is there in the sense of the organization, but it is relatively flat in terms of daily practice and culture. However, this is different on the US side of the organization where people seem to be far more sensitive to their level, both upwardly and downwardly.
For example, when I was in Lisbon a few months ago for a global meeting, I was sitting at a table eating lunch with a group from the US, with a Sales Leader and some Sales People. I sat down late there and just started joining into the conversation, where I noticed that the Sales people were nodding along as if the Leader was a mythical being. While I am exaggerating somewhat, they definitely were more agreeable than what they would be in Europe, and when I started essentially taking the piss out of the Leader, who is several rungs up the ladder above me, they didn't know how to react.
While right or wrong, this is my nature, and authority itself means very little to me. I respect this person a lot, but not because of their position, because of who they are and as a result, we have a relationship of mutual trust and respect. This is a topic I would dive into at another point from a cultural perspective, but highlights the hierarchical nature of some people who act differently when they sense authority, creating power dynamics.
And, with the changes in the organization, my Supervisor brought up a potential change in power dynamics for me, which I hadn't considered. Because, if the changes are finalized as expected, my previous supervisor who is technically above me, will be placed beside me in the structure. This was brought up to see if I think it would cause any problems for us personally, but I do not believe so, because of the relationship we have always held. One where we were colleagues before they were promoted, but always maintained a level way of talking to each other. In fact, when they were promoted by my current supervisor, I was asked my opinion about their suitability for the role and after they took the role, I was a sounding board for them, even after I left their team to my current role.
Yet still, hierarchy is something that needs to be considered, because I have often brought up with the leaders I work with, I do not have the authority to tell their teams to do anything at all. However, also don't have the responsibility of their results, even if I play a role in their success or possible failures. My approach is on one of suggestion, where I build a framework for something that they can leverage if they choose, which makes it all opt-in, not forced. If they use it and it works, great - if they don't, fine - if they use it and it fails, well... That doesn't happen too often.
Which means that despite not having hierarchical power, it doesn't mean I don't have authoritative power. It is essentially the role of a narrow influencer that effects behavioral change, but it is through a narrow lens that has quantifiable outputs that prove effective or not. This means that through experience, the authority is given by impact made on the organization, not through the title of the role.
Andi think that this might be a subtle difference for some, but it also highlights what I was speaking about before in terms of the position not being owned by the employee. Sure, I am a paid contractor for the role and there are tasks that have to be done in order to meet the needs of the organization, but I own the way I behave - that is what defines me. It has nothing to be with my title or the name of the department in which I work.
But, it is far less tangible than a title and it cannot be conveyed well in a conversation where people ask what I do, because the role doesn't describe my behaviors, skills or the impact made. It is like three people saying "professional driver" as a role, but one drives a taxi, the second an earthmover and the third a Formula One car. Does the title describe each accurately enough?
In this day and age, it is super unsexy to talk about working in a company and being good at your job, because the public discourse is all about people quiet quitting (and getting quiet fired), bare-minimum Mondays and complaining about terrible bosses who have the gall to expect the people they have hired and signed a contract for a wage to perform certain tasks, to actually do those tasks. Yet, even when I talk to the young people who have almost no credible experience under their belt, they still define themselves by the role they are currently doing, often trying to make it sound far more authoritative than it actually is, by giving it an important sounding title.
Again, part of a different discussion that deserves more in depth though, but I believe that title inflation, is part of a larger trend in society that devalues everything of value through ubiquity. Everyone is a photographer and with AI, counts themselves an artist or a writer too. Yet, at the end of the day, it really does come down to us as individuals and the impact we make on other people, where authority is not granted by a role, but how that role is played.
This is going to become far more apparent in the coming years, when the unskilled are going to struggle heavily, because they are unable to do the tasks required to make themselves valuable to an organization, or community, because an AI can do it and, it doesn't care about what it is called, or its position in society. Nor does it care about being respected for a job well done, and it can't be punished for poor performance - it just gets made obsolete.
Like many of us will soon become.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
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My wife and I are two of the few at-will employees where we work. Most of the other positions are affiliated with a union. That usually means we get all of the bad things that happen to the union employees like pay freezes and stuff like that, but never any of the benefits. Similarly, because of the position my wife has she is often in charge of the building she works in, but again doesn't get any of the benefits of that position. It's weird.
That is weird. I think one of the problems causing many of the problems in the US socially, is a lack of job security. It seems everyone is always on a knife edge there.
Honestly, not as much anymore. Some people just don't care.
I wonder if that leads to its own issues.
In the countries where violent death is common, human life doesn't have much value. I assume that there is some kind of correlation with complacency.
I think a lot of it here is the newer generation. They don't have the same loyalty to their employer. Some of the older generation do, but it is to a fault. That loyalty you have is seldom reciprocated.
Never been bothered by titles like 90 percent of everyone else. If you have the respect which you obviously do then your job title is more flexible as you help in other areas and not solely in one role. The last job I had I worked in every division which gave me a full understanding so if anything was wrong it could be rectified instantly with no one knowing what to do. Most managers delegate so much it is questionable if they even know their job or even if they are capable of doing it. Large companies are definitely having to change how they operate from where thy once were 10 or even 20 years ago.
There are a couple guys in the company who are like this and have vast experience with pretty much everything. Whenever and wherever they are needed, if even for an interim while they hire someone new, they are the go-to people.
Thank you for sharing your experience and insights on the topic of corporate culture and its impact on employees' sense of identity and ownership. It is interesting to hear about your company's restructuring and how it has affected people's reactions and perceptions.
Your observation that people tend to define themselves by their professional selves over their personal lives is a common one, and it underscores the importance of work in people's lives. It is also understandable that people feel a sense of ownership over their roles, even though they are ultimately defined and owned by the company. The challenge is finding the right balance between individual autonomy and company goals
Your comments on hierarchy and authority are also insightful. It is important to recognize that authority can come from many different sources, not just one's position in the organizational hierarchy. Your approach of building a framework for others to leverage and opt-in to is an excellent example of how to wield authority in a way that is respectful of others' autonomy and yet still impactful.
Overall, your observations provide valuable insights into the complex dynamics of corporate culture and its impact on individuals and organizations. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences.
Yes it is. There is also the idea of accepting changes outside of our control and going with the flow :D
What defines my job, what I do, I've never wondered but when people ask, it's obnoxious that they present you as an employee of x or y institution or entity or your position or your role as if you were a title, they never say he is so and so a great man whose passion is foragin or a very successful blogger who knows a lot about plants, they don't have to say he is an employee of such and such and works in this, it's obnoxious very obnoxious but my way you have to make a living somehow.
Hierarchies are a serious problem especially when your current boss was your past partner, I have seen a lot of fights between people because when the new boss is already at the top the new boss gets his bowels up and starts to mistreat the employees or those who were his former partners, thank God it has not happened to me but I have seen it happen to some of my friends.
I'm glad you have fun with other people's boss, because if he is your friend you should always treat him as such.
From now on when I am asked what you do I will be emphatic and answer directly, I am a researcher and documenter of edible and medicinal plants of our country and I keep a logbook to serve as a reference for new students or for anyone who wants to learn something about plants, I am also a frugal person whose lifestyle is foraging.
I will do that I think people find that quite funny even though at first it may seem like a joke and they will not take you seriously enough I think that is more important than saying I am a businessman, a consultant or an auditor, although the status quo is what our society values it is what everyone wants to hear.
Maybe I will say for a living I am a consultant and for a living I practice foraging as a passion that fills me with life.
Greetings sir and all the best
Thank you for the business management talks here they are indeed very much appreciated,
I still remember the last one that we must adapt to change and if the company requires our change, it is the company who decides since it is the one who pays the salary, and if we like it we stay but if not you have the option to leave.
Happy day.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
He is a friend - I have never stopped teasing him!
And I think that answering "I'm a forager" would be a great conversation starter and lead down an interesting path. Too many people are boring :)
This is exactly the case. It might not sounds pretty, but there are always some options on the table.
Have a great week.
Right, I remember that our company changed just the interface of the program we used years ago, and then there were alot of complains from the workers. I think people tend to contunie their work and life style as they are used to, I can say I have this habit somehow.
And what many don't realize is, if they had come into the company the day after the change, they wouldn't have cared about it at all.
I also always spoke with the bosses on an equal footing. True, these were not my bosses.
On the Hive, I also do not see the difference between a person with 1 million HIVE and with 1000 HIVE, first of all, a person must be good.
Yep - it is the same on here. People are people - good and bad, no matter what their account has in it.
help me develop my creativity 🙏🎨
Write a bit more on your posts and get involved with the various art communities :)
Every single time there's been a restructure at the company I've worked at, there's always been a wave of survivors guilt for those that stay behind after the "redundant" staff are out the door.
Everytime I've been personally impacted I've managed to hang on and get a role with more responsibility. Not necessarily more pay, but always more responsibility.
A few times, more pay, but it is an ongoing cycle whereby working conditions are constantly eroded through increased responsibility and declining conditionings.
It's the way the corporate world gas lights those who can't see between the window slats of the ultimate goal - make as much money as possible.
Given our previous exchanges about my current challenge, the above statement has given me something to definitely chew on and think about. It could definitely be a factor.
It's tough to really play in with all the power dynamics and it reminds me of all the Youtube videos about how bad things were at places like Gamestop, Bestbuy, Walmart, and other companies. I think it's better if it's a more even playing field to talk to because you might not get the criticism or advice that can help the project succeed. Of course, people shouldn't go completely out of line.
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I was so close to my one-year anniversary with Cointelegraph, it was just a few weeks away. But today we got the news that my entire department is getting let go effective at the end of the week. I got 2.5 days notice before the end of my employment - talk about a lack of loyalty. I'm confident with the experience I have that I will be able to land on my feet sooner than later, but I certainly have as large of a cushion as I would like and living in New York City doesn't give me much downtime either. Hopefully, I'll at least have some temp writing assignments in the short-term to keep the lights on and food in the fridge!