Companies are just big disfunctional familes

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the dynamics of workplace environments in companies, particularly those with more than a few employees. Participants explore themes of dysfunctionality, interpersonal conflicts, management issues, and the impact of company size on employee relationships. The conversation touches on personal experiences and observations regarding both small and large organizations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that larger companies resemble dysfunctional families, citing issues like backstabbing, denial of responsibility, and constant conflict.
  • Others share personal experiences of working in both small and large companies, highlighting differences in work culture and management styles.
  • A participant notes that the presence of difficult personalities tends to increase with company size, suggesting that larger organizations may harbor more hidden conflicts.
  • One participant describes a positive work environment in a small company, contrasting it with their negative experiences in larger organizations.
  • Another participant mentions the "20:80 rule," suggesting that a small percentage of employees often do the majority of the work, particularly in larger companies.
  • Some express skepticism about nepotism in family-run businesses, indicating that it can exacerbate existing issues within the workplace.
  • Several participants share anecdotes about management failures and their consequences, including employee turnover and dissatisfaction.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that workplace dynamics can be problematic, especially in larger companies. However, there are competing views regarding the extent of dysfunctionality and the impact of company size, with some advocating for the benefits of smaller organizations while others find value in larger companies.

Contextual Notes

Limitations in the discussion include varying definitions of dysfunctionality, personal biases based on individual experiences, and the lack of empirical evidence to support claims about workplace dynamics.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals exploring workplace culture, management practices, and the effects of company size on employee relationships.

Ivan Seeking
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I have come to the conclusion that nearly all companies having more than a four or five employees are just like seriously disfunctional familes. There is always at least one trouble-maker and backstabber. People deny what they know to be true when they think that they might otherwise take some heat. People make up answers when they don't know what to say. There is constant bickering and fighting. And when anything goes wrong, everyone wants to point the finger at someone else.

Yes, it was a rough day. I have a unique job in that I get very familiar...no, too familiar with the internal workings of my customers; since I have to spend so much time on site working closely with personnel. Over the years I have learned that a big part of my job is to ride out the storms and try to be diplomatic when everyone around is panicking and lashing out. Right now I am on a big job invoving millions of dollars, and we are in the painful last stages of R&D - the part where everything has to work correctly. I do this every day, but for most of my customers this is a rare and huge event.

But cripes, I sure get tired of the bullsht!
 
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Physics news on Phys.org
http://i.tvspielfilm.de/img/gen/1/8/431829_Pxgen_r_360x240.jpg

If you want change, you have to take action! No one will ever backstab around you again!
 
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I don't know how you do it Ivan. I get similarly involved with my clients, unfortunately I work for a behemoth company that couldn't care less if they destroy some poor company, well, at least my provisioning support would leave me to believe that.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
I have come to the conclusion that nearly all companies having more than a four or five employees are just like seriously disfunctional familes. There is always at least one trouble-maker and backstabber. People deny what they know to be true when they think that they might otherwise take some heat. People make up answers when they don't know what to say. There is constant bickering and fighting. And when anything goes wrong, everyone wants to point the finger at someone else.
...
But cripes, I sure get tired of the bullsht!

i've found that math departments are like that also. for example I've been severely ****ed around on purpose for a very long time now for no apparent reason by some of those "professionals" (at ****ing ppl around anyway). this pic reminds me i haven't seen falling down in a long time. instead of michael douglas it could just as easily be me :frown:
http://i.tvspielfilm.de/img/gen/1/8/431829_Pxgen_r_360x240.jpg
 
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People love to b1tch :biggrin:
 
Yeah, Ivan, I'd have to agree with you. Some of the stuff that goes on is unbelieveable - it makes soap operas look lame.

Several contacts at one company have moved on because management was so bad. One guy, who is perhaps the most conscientious person I have ever met, simply just stopped coming to work - it was so bad!
 
I think it's just that there are plenty of people like that...that's how their families end up dysfunctional too. The larger the company, the more likely you'll wind up with more of them, and the easier for them to linger out of sight and notice of the bosses so they don't get fired when they annoy the boss one too many times.
 
My two best friends are my boss and the other guy in the company. There's never been any backstabbing and the only real arguments sound like this:
"I only worked 35 hours this week but you paid me for 40"
"You forgot to add in the 5 hours from Saturday"
"You mean the 5 hours in the bar in Sedona where you bought all the drinks?"
"We were all there so it must have been business related."

a good work environment is worth as much as any benefit or pay scale.
 
Large companies and corporations are the pure embodiment of the Peter Principle.

"The Peter Principle is a colloquial principle of hierarchiology, stated as "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."

-Wikipedia

I've made up my own. :biggrin:

Tsu's Lament - There's always at least ONE 'dickhead'. :biggrin:
 
  • #10
Tsu's Lament doesn't work cause my company only has three people in it and neither of the guys I work with is a dickhead so that means..that means. dammit nevermind
 
  • #11
cyrusabdollahi said:
http://i.tvspielfilm.de/img/gen/1/8/431829_Pxgen_r_360x240.jpg

If you want change, you have to take action! No one will ever backstab around you again!

Here is my data that guns are dangerous. :biggrin: Just playing. :-p

Actually, I learned in business school that there is this common accepted concept that is called the 20:80 rule. It means that 20% of the workers do 80% of the work, and the other 80% do 20% of the work.

I'm guessing this rule applies for companies with more than 5 employees. :devil:
 
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  • #12
tribdog said:
My two best friends are my boss and the other guy in the company. There's never been any backstabbing . . .

a good work environment is worth as much as any benefit or pay scale.
I work in a small private company too. The people I work with, including the CEO, the President and VPs, are all great people for whom I have a great deal of respect. It's almost like being self-employed except I have support from the company so I don't have to worry about the financial (taxes, insurance, retirement, . . .) nitty-gritty. Everybody in the company works hard - while we book 40 hrs a week, we work 48-60 hrs because that's the nature of the business.

I wouldn't work for a large company however. I've seen first hand what goes on, and I don't need that kind of aggravation. I left a larger company (my division was bought by a large company) because of the way they treated employees - like machines, plus I had a conflict with management.

At the previous company, one of the presidents wanted the company to buy a condominium for business purposes - but that pretty much meant the he and his family would use it as a second home! I was livid when I learned about that. :mad: The company had purchased places in box at some stadium and season tickets - but that again was for the president. Needless to say, the company took a nosedive, and my division got sold. That was right after we changed presidents and then found out that the President and principal VP (who replaced the president) hated each other, and never spoke to one another. :rolleyes:
 
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  • #13
Working for a big company is fantastic for me at the moment. I wanted to go out and see some customers in Turkey. I started asking my boss "will you pay for me to go to visit some customers in..." and before I'd finished, he butted in and said "the answer's yes, just don't tell me how much it costs".

I'd never get this level of training working for a small company, nor the opportunity to work in so many different business environments in such a small space of time. Wooop!
 
  • #14
brewnog said:
Working for a big company is fantastic for me at the moment. I wanted to go out and see some customers in Turkey. I started asking my boss "will you pay for me to go to visit some customers in..." and before I'd finished, he butted in and said "the answer's yes, just don't tell me how much it costs".

I'd never get this level of training working for a small company, nor the opportunity to work in so many different business environments in such a small space of time. Wooop!

That's a good point too.

Have fun in Turkey! :smile:
 
  • #15
It's worse when the company is a family. My boss hired his son last year...
 
  • #16
russ_watters said:
It's worse when the company is a family. My boss hired his son last year...
So true! There is not a bad character trait that cannot be worsened by nepotism.
 
  • #17
turbo-1 said:
So true! There is not a bad character trait that cannot be worsened by nepotism.
not even nepotism?
 
  • #18
JasonRox said:
Here is my data that guns are dangerous. :biggrin: Just playing. :-p

Actually, I learned in business school that there is this common accepted concept that is called the 20:80 rule. It means that 20% of the workers do 80% of the work, and the other 80% do 20% of the work.
I think it's more that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, 60% of the people do 19.9% of the work, and the remaining 20% of the people sit around making personal calls, playing solitaire on the computer, and do 0.1% of the work, but only because that's how frequently the boss walks past their desk.

I'm guessing this rule applies for companies with more than 5 employees. :devil:
:smile:
 
  • #19
Moonbear said:
I think it's more that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, 60% of the people do 19.9% of the work, and the remaining 20% of the people sit around making personal calls, playing solitaire on the computer, and do 0.1% of the work, but only because that's how frequently the boss walks past their desk.


:smile:

NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!

I wrote a proof of this theorem at school. :mad:

Maybe I'll re-write it later tonight.

Moonbear's Theorem shall be reborned.
 
  • #20
JasonRox said:
Actually, I learned in business school that there is this common accepted concept that is called the 20:80 rule. It means that 20% of the workers do 80% of the work, and the other 80% do 20% of the work.
Actually, in business, the 20:80 rule is that 20% of your customers bring in 80% of your business. http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mkt08052.html

I've seen it applied to everything imaginable. It originally had to do with the distribution of wealth within a population.
 
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  • #21
it applies to members/number of posts here too
 
  • #22
Hah! The backstabber now keeps his head down and looks at the floor when walking about. My stuff works great and the trend lines prove it.

It is amazing what people will say and do when I'm not there, but that seems to be human nature - blame the person not present.
 

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