Monday, September 18, 2006

Careers & culture

It is so interesting to note that we (The people of the United States) celebrate the day our founding fathers signed and published the declaration of independence; July 4th, 1776. The war of independence ended in 1782 and the British accepted defeat in 1783 but the Independence Day stands firm at July 4th. The day the nation readied itself to take the mantle of democracy, lead the world and satisfy our citizen’s primary need for freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of action. No don’t get confused I am not trying to make any significant contribution or change historical records through this essay but I am trying hard to make a point!

I was evaluating corporate principles and policies in light of the above…. people often get promoted based on what they have done not the capabilities they project. I had the opportunity to experience a culture, where people were promoted based on successfully completing tasks required by the role versus the role they were preparing for. It does sound much like our educational institutions. Just the way students move up from one grade level to the next on successful completion of tasks within their current grade level.

Alls not lost though…. when it comes to admitting new candidates even educational institutions subjectively measure capability and drive as a proxy to future success.

Corporate culture or the societal culture… your guess is as good as mine.