If I'm reading the article correctly, the President did not say "'I eat essentially the same thing for breakfast each morning: a bowl of cold cereal and a banana. For lunch, I eat a chicken salad sandwich with a diet soda. Each morning, I dress in one of a small number of suits, each of which goes with particular shirts and ties". The author said that about himself.
The problem with systems like this, where you rank employees with respect to each other, is that it creates an atmosphere of competition in an environment where cooperation would be more productive. As a software engineer, I've yet to find one situation where competing against my peers has produced a better product.
Management doesn't get this. The hierarchical structure of organizations lends itself to competition, so the people in charge tend to be competitive people and believe the best work comes from people trying to outdo each other. They seem to think that saying some other guy is a better employee will motivate his peers to work harder, when in truth all it does it create resentment or, if you figure it out, apathy.
Slashdot Mirror
If I'm reading the article correctly, the President did not say "'I eat essentially the same thing for breakfast each morning: a bowl of cold cereal and a banana. For lunch, I eat a chicken salad sandwich with a diet soda. Each morning, I dress in one of a small number of suits, each of which goes with particular shirts and ties". The author said that about himself.
Easy access to the Bible? You don't want people reading that thing. They'll start to see how wacky it is.
The problem with systems like this, where you rank employees with respect to each other, is that it creates an atmosphere of competition in an environment where cooperation would be more productive. As a software engineer, I've yet to find one situation where competing against my peers has produced a better product. Management doesn't get this. The hierarchical structure of organizations lends itself to competition, so the people in charge tend to be competitive people and believe the best work comes from people trying to outdo each other. They seem to think that saying some other guy is a better employee will motivate his peers to work harder, when in truth all it does it create resentment or, if you figure it out, apathy.