RE: Make [up] work (was RE: Unsubstantiated and/or falseallegations(was RE: Nobody reviewed the manuals)

[Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Darren, your theory is founded in reality, but it has the problem that it assumes the higher-ups are actually in touch with the thoughts and feelings of the lower level workers.  They can actually scale rumor-squashing efforts only if they know what the rumors are.  All too often, the higher-ups don't know the rumors going around because they are completely out of touch with the workers.  And most of the time, that's the reason why the rumors get started to begin with.

Right now you're just factoring in the strength of the rumor and the strength of the counteraction.  I suggest you modify your formula to this:

X times Y times Z  = T

X   strength of rumor 1-10 (10 being strongest)Y  1-10 strength of rumor control effortsZ   1-10 likelihood management is in contact with reality (1 being la-la land)
T   probability of rumor being true

Examples:

X of 9 times Y of 2 times Z of 5 
T of 90 (eh, start on next item on calendar)

X of 9 times Y of 7 times Z of  4 
T of 252 (start watching if boss is having lots of offsite meetings)

X of 9 times Y of 8 times Z of 7

T of 504 (start mailing resumes)




You are dead on about the CYA.  That usually accounts for about 75% of the reason why managers in any government entity do anything. 


--- On Fri, 6/11/10, Butler, Darren J CTR USAF AFMC 584 CBSS/GBHDB <Darren -dot- Butler -dot- ctr -at- Robins -dot- af -dot- mil> wrote:

From: Butler, Darren J CTR USAF AFMC 584 CBSS/GBHDB <Darren -dot- Butler -dot- ctr -at- Robins -dot- af -dot- mil>
Subject: RE: Make [up] work (was RE: Unsubstantiated and/or falseallegations(was RE: Nobody reviewed the manuals)
To: "Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Friday, June 11, 2010, 1:08 PM

>>.......in a large corporation, you know that the rumor mill usually
provides more accurate and timely information than official 

channels, especially when it comes to bad news......<<

 

'But that depends on who is providing grist for the rumor mill. In this
situation, there is much CYA going on at all levels of the corporate
structure as well as among the federal regulatory and EMS agencies.

 

Here are my rule  for rumors: 

*         If management is aggressively trying to squelch certain
rumors, this usually means the rumors are very close to accurate. Start
paying more attention to them.
If management is content to let the rumors run free, then the rumors are
either way off base and/or management initiated. Start ignoring them.

*         If management singles-out a person or group for
rumor-mongering, they might be on to something big. Start paying more
attention to them.

 

Basically, I observe how management acts towards the rumor mill and
adjust my reactions accordingly.

 

-Darren

 

-----Original Message-----
From:
techwr-l-bounces+darren -dot- butler -dot- ctr=robins -dot- af -dot- mil -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+darren -dot- butler -dot- ctr=robins -dot- af -dot- mil -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- 
com] On Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 10:21 AM
To: McLauchlan, Kevin; Combs, Richard; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Make [up] work (was RE: Unsubstantiated and/or
falseallegations(was RE: Nobody reviewed the manuals)

 

And if you've ever put in any time in a large corporation, you know that
the 

rumor mill usually provides more accurate and timely information than
official 

channels, especially when it comes to bad news...

 

Gene Kim-Eng

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>

> But being in the same line of work that I am, you must

> be plenty accustomed to taking even flimsier source

> material than that (Marketing Requirements Documents,

> Engineering Statements of Work, Test Plans, Feature

> Summaries....... Code    Freeze   Dates .....) and

> stringing them into far more elaborate confections

> called Customer Documentation.   Yes?

 

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