[Sigia-l] Re: Large Orgs

[Gent, Andrew]

Re: large organizations and inflexibility

One of the goals of the management of a large corporation is
predictability. This is usually achieved through standard processes and
regulations of one sort or another. Clearly, unique or unusual
activities are hard to predict and there is an unfortunate habit of
attempting to force fit existing procedural requirements on anything new
or unrecognized.

Yes, bureaucracy can be mind-numbing. Martinets can be infuriating. But
I must have been lucky. In 20+ years in large corporations I have been
blessed with several insightful and supportive managers who have not
only let me bend the rules but in many cases encouraged and assisted me
in doing so.

The advantage of working in a large corporation is that if you propose
something new,  you can often define your own scope of responsibility.
So it is a relief to know I don't have the troubles many have reported
in defining roles/borders between IAs and Creative director-types. On
the other hand, a lot of my work as an IA is selling the entire concept
to managers of one sort or another (from other organizations, since most
IA projects cross organizational boundaries). Not something I came in
prepared for, but I have developed a skill over time.

I would also add two comments, in reference to the Microsoft example and
others. First, a significant portion of the IA work for large
corporations is *internal*, not external, and has different (although
not always less challenging) issues to deal with. Second, in my own
experience, it is often the management of a large, established product
such as an operating system that has come to us asking for something
different. They are not fighting change, they are begging for it. But
they suffer as many bureaucratic roadblocks as the rest of the
employees.

Andrew Gent


-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Lawrence [mailto:slawrence at lucidvagary.com] 
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 11:58 AM
To: sigia l
Subject: Re: [Sigia-l] Re: Large Orgs


To paraphrase Cat Stevens: "Oh clue train's sounding louder, Glide on
the clue train..."

It's not that these large companies make you in to a clone, they
inhhibit flexibilty, communication and individual innovation and
insight.  After awhile, you just learn to deal with it or you leave.


> Stewart and Ziya's examples deleted [ ... ]
>
> Stewart / Ziya - just imagine how effective an agent of change you 
> could have been if you'd been on the inside of those monster 
> companies, or do
you
> think that after a week of working as in "innie" your minds would have
been
> subverted and you'd just be another corporate clone?
>
>  - Richard
------------
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