Bulldozer00's Blog

Since many people spend a large amount of time at work, or thinking about work, I’ve been on a perpetual search for the keys to developing, and more importantly, sustaining an inspirational culture that brings daily joy to all. I’m keenly interested in the topic because an inspiring company culture, like quality, is ephemeral, hard to quantify, and hard to bring to fruition.

In this blog post, “The Hole In The Soul Of Business“, Gary Hamel laments the fact that so many business leaders come up empty when it comes to the creation and sustainment of an engaging company culture.

In my last post, I cited a survey that found that only 20% of employees are truly engaged in their work — heart and soul. As a student of management, I’m depressed by the fact that so many people find work depressing. In the study, respondents laid much of the blame for their lassitude on uncommunicative and egocentric managers…

Why is it that managers are so willing to acknowledge the idea of a company dedicated to timeless human values and yet so unwilling to become practical advocates for those values within their own organizations? I have a hunch. I think corporate life is so manifestly inhuman—so mechanical, mundane and materialistic—that any attempt to inject a spiritual note into the overtly secular proceedings just feels wildly out of place—the workplace equivalent of reading a Bible in a brothel.

The first step toward getting rid of a bad habit is admitting that you have a problem in the first place. Alas, uncommunicative and egocentric managers never admit that there is a problem. That’s because they’re infallible, of course.