Last year I had a call from a market research company checking up on a visit from one of their representatives. Basically to check whether the person had done what they said or had just made me up! The tone of questioning made me feel as if I was on trial. A few weeks ago Charlie tweeted about an over zealous train conductor who seemed to start with a belief that no was to be trusted. Which reminded me of a conductor who closed the doors stopping me from getting on the train just as I got to them. These examples had me thinking about the sorts of values, beliefs and behaviours that are unconsciously built into certain jobs as a result of the objectives set. They may help do the job effectively but they can also have interesting repercussions too.
What about the following (and yes they’re very stereotypical and simply to illustrate the point):
Politicians: Common sense being ignored in order to disagree with the opposition.
Dr/Pharmaceuticals: Emphasis is on illness rather well being.
Advertising: Words that influence are used even if misleading e.g. recent case involving use of ‘nutritious’.
Media: Again words to attract attention are used even if inaccurate
Police/Traffic wardens: Lack of trust must be inherent
and from my own experience
Buyers: Bulldozing of suppliers
Coaches: Finding challenges/issues to resolve
I just wonder what KPI’s could, or already are, put in place to ensure we avoid these types of repercussions?
