I wonder if it in fact provides useful orientation?
Sometimes people seem clueless just because we don’t understand them, but that doesn’t mean they are in fact clueless.
Does this framework actually explain how diffusion of responsibility works?
This framework explicitly advises ICs to slack off and try to attain “political playing cards” in an attempt to leapfrog their way into senior management. I wouldn’t consider that to be a valuable form of orientation.
In the absence of a desire to become part of the “sociopath class”, the model seems to advice ICs to accept their role and do the bare minimum, seemingly discouraging them from aspiring to the “clueless” middle management class, which is a regression from the IC position. That doesn’t seem like valuable career advice to me.
I don’t see how it is useful. Mostly, it seems to be an emotional appeal on multiple levels, “your manager is clueless, the C-suite contains sociopaths”, and also preying on people’s insecurities “you are a loser (in the sense of the article), be embarrassed about your aspirations of higher impact from a position of middle manager, it’s a regression to cluelessness”.
I generally agree that a certain amount of cynicism is needed to correctly function in society, but this particular framework seems to be excessively cynical, inaccurate, and its recommendations seem counterproductive.
Those are some really strong critiques. The framework did do something valuable for me. I have a few professors at my PhD program who are properly clueless. I’ve been trying to speak straight talk to them for a while, with negative results. It just strains the relationship. After reading this, I will try some babytalk. Frame my research agenda with some woke jargon, stuff like that.
Also the passage on woke talk and professors is spot on.
I don’t know enough about your situation to say anything productive. I know that the PhD journey can be confusing and stressful. I hope you are able to have constructive conversations with the profs at your PhD program.
I think part of the issue might be you not being the target audience. My sense is that the people most helped by realpolitik explanations (of which this is a particular instance) is that they help scrupulous people who are being taken advantage of by the fake narratives of companies.
From reading lots of Rao’s stuff, I also got the sense that he’s writing descriptively, and specifically, he’s trying to describe The Office. It’ll be truthful to the degree that The Office captures some truths, and to the degree that Rao’s own consulting experience fills in the details.
Sometimes people seem clueless just because we don’t understand them, but that doesn’t mean they are in fact clueless.
I suppose you aren’t using his suspect definition of Clueless. But your point is potentially valid either way.
It’s also true that something can seem “excessively cynical, inaccurate” or “counterproductive” doesn’t mean they are, in fact, excessively cynical, inaccurate, or counterproductive.
Does this framework actually explain how diffusion of responsibility works?
The framework alone doesn’t but reading the whole thing does. You can also check out some of my shortforms for some summaries.
You clearly don’t like his advice and certainly don’t have to follow it. I have found it very helpful (at understanding some previously confusing situations and getting promoted). I’m not the only one in this thread either so I humbly suggest it might be worth updating priors on how good or bad the framework is.
I wonder if it in fact provides useful orientation?
Sometimes people seem clueless just because we don’t understand them, but that doesn’t mean they are in fact clueless.
Does this framework actually explain how diffusion of responsibility works?
This framework explicitly advises ICs to slack off and try to attain “political playing cards” in an attempt to leapfrog their way into senior management. I wouldn’t consider that to be a valuable form of orientation.
In the absence of a desire to become part of the “sociopath class”, the model seems to advice ICs to accept their role and do the bare minimum, seemingly discouraging them from aspiring to the “clueless” middle management class, which is a regression from the IC position. That doesn’t seem like valuable career advice to me.
I don’t see how it is useful. Mostly, it seems to be an emotional appeal on multiple levels, “your manager is clueless, the C-suite contains sociopaths”, and also preying on people’s insecurities “you are a loser (in the sense of the article), be embarrassed about your aspirations of higher impact from a position of middle manager, it’s a regression to cluelessness”.
I generally agree that a certain amount of cynicism is needed to correctly function in society, but this particular framework seems to be excessively cynical, inaccurate, and its recommendations seem counterproductive.
Those are some really strong critiques. The framework did do something valuable for me. I have a few professors at my PhD program who are properly clueless. I’ve been trying to speak straight talk to them for a while, with negative results. It just strains the relationship. After reading this, I will try some babytalk. Frame my research agenda with some woke jargon, stuff like that.
Also the passage on woke talk and professors is spot on.
I don’t know enough about your situation to say anything productive. I know that the PhD journey can be confusing and stressful. I hope you are able to have constructive conversations with the profs at your PhD program.
I think part of the issue might be you not being the target audience. My sense is that the people most helped by realpolitik explanations (of which this is a particular instance) is that they help scrupulous people who are being taken advantage of by the fake narratives of companies.
I read it as much more descriptive and less prescriptive but maybe I forgot about there being advice parts?
From reading lots of Rao’s stuff, I also got the sense that he’s writing descriptively, and specifically, he’s trying to describe The Office. It’ll be truthful to the degree that The Office captures some truths, and to the degree that Rao’s own consulting experience fills in the details.
I suppose you aren’t using his suspect definition of Clueless. But your point is potentially valid either way.
It’s also true that something can seem “excessively cynical, inaccurate” or “counterproductive” doesn’t mean they are, in fact, excessively cynical, inaccurate, or counterproductive.
The framework alone doesn’t but reading the whole thing does. You can also check out some of my shortforms for some summaries.
You clearly don’t like his advice and certainly don’t have to follow it. I have found it very helpful (at understanding some previously confusing situations and getting promoted). I’m not the only one in this thread either so I humbly suggest it might be worth updating priors on how good or bad the framework is.