Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The 10 worst examples of management speak
From 'action' as a verb to stakeholder not meaning someone preparing to kill a vampire, I have to admit each and every one of these words sets my teeth on edge.
What jargon drives you up the wall?
Enough with the blue sky thinking?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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I don't want to be a smug git, but I don't see a problem with any of these terms.
Although I disagree with this, I'm happy to accept it is your view, Hugh. I'd like to know what are your views on Management Speak terms and I'm still not clear (maybe I'm just thick!). Can we re-open that discussion here and can you reconcile it with what you said elsewhere:
No, Mr Carter, as you are aware I don't admire management speak as I've explained elsewhere, and I'm not in the least interested in reopening that discussion here.
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Permalink Reply by David on
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A part of me dies every time someone says "touch base" (for "catch up") or "reach out" (for "speak"). Jargon is acceptable where it helps professionals communicate more easily (e.g. I would not like to write out the constituent parts of CPT/TSA ITT every time I have to use it), but not where it's just a guise to make language more complicated and evade responsibility (e.g. "I will reach out and cascade this down" has none of the meaning of "I will email X and Y").
Also, what is wrong with leverage? It has a specific meaning in finance and can be metaphorically used in other sense to describe the same thing (e.g. in a professional services context, "leverage" means the number of fee-earning staff per partner, which is clearly an appropriate use).
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Permalink Reply by DavidJ on
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Some management jargon is just daft and laughable - just like any group. Though as Liz says the prevalence of management speak does suggest a lack of genuine ideas.
But I think there can be more serious issues in this. The point is that these are 'managers' who might well be making decisions about other people's lives and the language used can be used to obscure what they are actually doing. The one I notice occurs with such things as (for example) - 'The direction of travel in the sector is to have fewer postal distribution centres' - this implies an inevitability as though it nothing to do with decisions being made to cut costs in particular ways.
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But I think there can be more serious issues in this.
Surely David means: "issues around this"?Does Hugh attend too many meetings? Can we afford to send him off on a holiday somewhere?
And what the feck ever happened to "pushing the bloody envelope"?
And don't we need closure on all this shite?
End of.
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implies an inevitability
Yes. I've noticed some politicians and journalists do this with "increasing". For example, There is increasing evidence that x leads to y.
Now, y may well have increased (in the past) as a result of x. However, that increase may have halted just before the news bulletin! Better to say has increased.
Direction of Travel: travellers can stop for rest and refreshment or can even turn back. There's a Turkish proverb about that, that you won't see quoted in Haringey People magazine: No matter how far you've traveled down the wrong road, turn back.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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The problem with leverage is that it is used as an alternative way of saying 'make use of' or even 'exploit' in a way that I think is just very confusing and unnecessary. For example "we need to leverage our freelancers" (I am quoting!).
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Yes, that seems unnecessary. Unless they mean using freelancers to increase something else (profitability of full-time staff?) since, originally, leverage meant the use of debt finance to increase the returns on equity finance.
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Permalink Reply by Mat Day on
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Great game!
My top 5, they may be media/advertising specific:
- "end of play"/"EOP"; hate this because it usually means that there's something big that needs doing fast
- "In terms of timings"; useful phrase but just sounds awful. Leaks into real life.
- "Add Value" As far as I can tell this means 'not be useless'
- "Let's take this offline": people use this IN PERSON. They simply mean "lets talk about it later". Amazing.
- "Make it premium"/"Make it pop more" - these are things you say to designers when, basically, you don't like their work and you lack the vocabulary to explain why. My number one because I've heard it come out of my mouth and I instantly wanted to put my fist in it.
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"Close of play", rather endearingly, comes from the ancient tradition of civil servants knocking off in the afternoon to go and watch the cricket, before calling back into the office on their way to the club for the evening.
It is acceptable only if used in that context.
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I'm going to be quoting this lovely little factoid at every opportunity
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