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Knowledge_is_Power__So_keep_your_mouth_closed_to_keep_it_from_getting_away
| Knowledge is Power ... So, keep your mouth closed to keep it from getting away!
Did you ever wonder why it sometimes seems that communications
is lacking within an organization or corporate culture? It is
one of those frustrating situations that appear to put a halt to
positive productivity. You meander around trying to gather
hacked information that you feel is important, yet the one
person that should know the whole story "doesn't know a thing."
Then, at the last minute, the entire world shifts, and the one
person that "didn't know" comes out of the shadows and becomes
the hero because they knew the answer.
One of the reasons for such lack of information is "power." It
is the ability to hold something back from someone and use that
hidden knowledge to perform an action or create an imbalance to
accomplish a task. If someone knows something and doesn't tell
you the whole story, two of the more common reasons are: Need to
Know and Power Plays.
---Need to Know---
With each individual corporate entity comes a corporate vision
and a mission. The visions of Corporate America are to make
money, survive, and advance technology, healthcare, etc. This
vision and mission then trickles down the ranks of the
individual corporations and is pieced out and delegated to each
subordinate level. Each individual person contributes by
becoming involved in one or more of these visions. In most
cases, one person won't know the "big picture"; however, they do
know that their piece of the pie will help to move the company
toward it ultimate vision.
The job of a manager is to take a piece of this overall
corporate vision and mission and develop a vision for his group
and a mission for his subordinates. This manager breaks his part
of the mission into feasible projects that, upon completion,
bring the department, group, and company closer to its vision.
The only person that usually knows the whole picture is your
manager. Above him, only his manager knows the whole picture for
his subordinate managers. This, until it ripples back up to the
macro-vision of Corporate America.
All of this, just to explain a simple idea? But, it is essential
to know why you're rarely given a larger picture of the piece
that you happen to be working on. Three of the more important
reasons are security, control, and focus.
* Security: If you know the whole picture, then you could
potentially take off and do the same thing somewhere else. By
only knowing a small piece of the whole puzzle, the company is
less concerned that you would jeopardize their market advantage.
* Control: If you know the whole picture, then why would you
need a manager? Somewhere in there, a manager must exist to
ensure that everything that his subordinates are doing is
directed toward a particular objective. Things have to get done
and pieces have to fit together. In the middle, your manager
knows everything that is important to your group and department
and is able to control the individuals in the group by being the
central point of contact for information.
* Focus: By knowing too much, managers are concerned that you
might lose focus on your own piece of the puzzle. I've seen
subordinates who knew everything about everything and they were
so busy critiquing and mingling in worlds not pertaining to
their work that they never completed anything that was assigned
to them. It is essential to maintain focus on your specific
objectives to complete your part of your group's mission
successfully.
--- Power Plays ---
Power comes from the approach that your peer or superior will
not provide a piece of information that is important to you or
your job. In this way, it seems that they can use that lack of
information to prod you into either looking for yourself or use
it to maintain a submissive stance on your part such that "they
have all the answers." In this situation, acknowledge that your
manager or peer does have all the answers and allow them the
opportunity to "impart some of their knowledge" upon you. In
this manner, they are able to exert their power while you are
able to pick the necessary information out of their ramblings.
Another reason for this approach is to create an imbalance to
move a situation in a specified direction. By not providing a
piece of information, the manager is creating a vacuum that you
must fill. You can accomplish this by examining the missing
information and defining or locating the missing piece. Another
term for this approach is "delegation."
Realize also that it is not the manager's job to have all of the
answers. They are in their position to determine and direct. You
are there to define and resolve to achieve the necessary
results. In most cases, whether you realize it or not, you are
the one with the answers!
--- Peer Power ---
With regard to peers, an individual will sometimes provide
disinformation, or lack of information, so that they can act on
the information, as opposed to telling others and end up losing
their footing, or power, because someone else acted on the
information. In this case, you have two options. You can
compliment them and allow them the opportunity to exert their
power as you extract the information you need from their
knowledge. Alternatively, you can find your own answers by
searching for the answer through research, the gossip tree, or
by asking other peers or your manager. In some cases, your
manager will usually refer you back to the one who won't talk
since they have "all the answers."
Don't get frustrated in this situation as your peers are working
toward objectives just as you. Simply go back to that peer and
confront them for the information you need. However, verify the
information before you use it, as it could very well be
misleading.
---What's next? ---
It is important to realize that, in most cases, the reason for
lack of communications is not a personal issue against you. It
is a professional issue used to obtain and maintain power and
control. If you can learn how to manage yourself and your work
within the confines of a given "information play," then you can
conquer one of most confusing conundrums of the corporate
culture.
Lack of information doesn't necessarily mean "lack of
information." It usually means something else. Perhaps someone
is about to be fired, a change is in the offing, an imbalance
for forward motion is created, or perhaps there is a turf issue
playing. Realize that if you feel that you have little
information, look around and see what else is going on around
you. You just may have more information available to you than
you would want to know.
If you don't know the big picture now, prove that you can first
handle the smaller pieces and then, as your prove your ability
to handle the responsibility, you will eventually be privy to a
larger view. At that point, you will be the one with the "power
of knowledge."
About the author:
Edward B. Toupin is an author, life-strategy coach, counselor,
and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other
things, he authors books and articles on topics ranging from
career success through life organization and fulfillment. For
more information, e-mail Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit
his sites at http://www.toupin.com or
http://www.make-life-great.com.
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