I honestly never managed to extract any sense of any notion this article put forward.
We have a wonderful spot for you in lower management!
The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
51–60 of 154 posts
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bezos ignoring Shatner’s attempts to explain his profound experience going to space in favor of celebrating with alcohol; whilst Shatner is standing there as a recovering alcoholic who lost his wife due to alcohol related stuff seemed pretty sociopathic to me.
Did Bezos know about Shatner's alcohol problems? I watched more Star Trek than most, but I had no idea before this comment, and I have even less of an idea about his wife. Not everyone is clued up on the latest celebrity gossip.
Even if he didn’t, it was a terribly apathetic behavior while shatner tried to reflect on the emotional impact of the trip.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#53I really used to buy into this mental model. There are certainly some points that seem to correspond to my lived experience. At this point though, I've been through each of the tiers and have never been either cluelessly obsequious nor a sociopath -- so I have my doubts that the model is worthwhile despite being a good laugh! For those that haven't read it: - Tier 1 - fresh younguns or burnt out talented people who a…
Joffrey was a Clueless if ever there was one. He had no grasp of strategy, no skill at manipulation, no understanding of how to present himself. His mother on the other hand was a Sociopath's Sociopath.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#54It's really helpful to identify sociopaths. They know what's up and make things happen, but not friendship material. Kinda dangerous when you interact with one without noticing. Losers are cool and mostly harmless. The alphas can be a bit annoying sometimes, but most of them can be good friends.
I had a boss who was a complete and utter sociopath (by the article's definitions), but there were few people I'd rather go to the pub and have a pint with. Dangerous combination. Gotta watch out for those. What he couldn't otherwise make happen through force of will, he could through personality. He's the CIO at some middling company now, and there's no way I'd connect to him on LinkedIn.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#55>(the office) I’ve been unable to figure out what makes it so devastatingly effective, and elevates it so far above the likes of Dilbert and Office Space. Dilbert is a hand drawn comic so it will never have the media reach of TV. It also tends to focus more on the details of the bureaucratic brokenness for people to laugh rather than cry at in daily life. The office is syndicated TV with a new episode every week. It…
Mike Judge is also devastatingly effective. I know people who can't watch Silicon Valley because it's too real.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#56Company hierarchy: Sociopaths at the top > Clueless middle managers > Losers at the bottom. That's a bleak view, but I've worked in organizations that fit the model. To think that this could be the norm.. What if the model could be applied to human society in general! With such power dynamics, no wonder we seem to be barely hanging together with tense, mutual disrespect.
All of human society is like this. We dress it up and call it different names, but it's just feudalism all over again and again. People who grew up in the US, in luster and afterglow of the post-war boom, thought that our 50's, 60's, and 70's was the way of the world. But we've fallen back in line with the rest of the world now, and the forced shift in the American perspective is jarring.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#57I love The Office, but I don’t believe that the writers actually have some deep knowledge of business psychology and hierarchy. It seems pointless to attempt a deep analysis through that lens.
I think it's often the case that when a story is created, the creator(s) don't necessarily have this detailed philosophical/psychological overview of the characters and the essence of the show. Rather, they have their own life experiences and ideals for the story and characters("there's always that idiot boss and that one guy who does nothing"). Analyses like this one then provide us with a point of view that puts th…
I've tried to make this point before in conversation in relation to many forms of art and I just had to comment that your reply is very on the money and very concise. Gonna take some inspiration, as I've struggled many times to convey this.
Most people just think that unless the artist "intended it", analysis is worthless.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Since Shatner was Bezos' guest, Bezos should have known. While you may not have personally known about it, it has been widely reported. Basic hospitality is important. Most folks are rightfully indignant when an interviewing company haven't read their resume, while virtually all companies want interviewees to have read the company public website.
Realistically he was probably considered something like a prop more than anything.
Yes, this would be a sociopathic treatment of people.
People are not props.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#59I really used to buy into this mental model. There are certainly some points that seem to correspond to my lived experience. At this point though, I've been through each of the tiers and have never been either cluelessly obsequious nor a sociopath -- so I have my doubts that the model is worthwhile despite being a good laugh! For those that haven't read it: - Tier 1 - fresh younguns or burnt out talented people who a…
Joffrey was a Clueless if ever there was one. He had no grasp of strategy, no skill at manipulation, no understanding of how to present himself. His mother on the other hand was a Sociopath's Sociopath.
I agree that he was clueless. He was also a sociopath and nominally in charge, though not by his own choice. A patsy set up to fail.
And I 100% agree on Cersei.
Re: The Gervais Principle, or the Office According to “The Office” (2009)
#60>(the office) I’ve been unable to figure out what makes it so devastatingly effective, and elevates it so far above the likes of Dilbert and Office Space. Dilbert is a hand drawn comic so it will never have the media reach of TV. It also tends to focus more on the details of the bureaucratic brokenness for people to laugh rather than cry at in daily life. The office is syndicated TV with a new episode every week. It…
Dilbert does have a cartoon TV series that ran for 2 seasons. https://youtu.be/J1KEPvuiQIs
Wow that is bad. Its like they gave an intern a shoestring budget and told them to make something happen. The voice actors are like they just grabbed the nearest person and told them hey you are gonna voice these characters.