Conference quark::human_relations-v1

499.0. "DEC CULTURE" by NCVAX1::COOPER (If this is love, I'd prefer lunch!) Tue Apr 19 1988 14:08

    The following has been forwarded a thousand times, I found this 
    worth reading, hope you do to.
          
    CC    
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From:	ENOADM::GARDNER       5-MAR-1988 15:50
To:	CELICA::SUSSMAN,SSGVAX::CHACE,SSVAX::MUNSON,
Subj:	COMMENTS ON CULTURE
          
          
          
	I FOUND YOUR THOUGHTS ON DEC CULTURE PERCEPTIVE, BUT A LITTLE
SCARY.  IS THIS WHAT WE HAVE COME TO?  IS THIS THE REAL DEC, SPLIT IN
HALF, FRAGMENTED, AND FULL OF ISOLATED INDIVIDUALS THAT FEEL THEY
MISSED OUT ON THE BEGINNING, SOMEHOW CAN'T GET CONNECTED, CAN'T SHARE
THE OLD STORIES ABOUT KEN WALKING THE HALLS ON SATURDAY'S IN THE MILL.
          
	WELL, LET ME SHARE SOME OF MY STORIES AND MY PERCEPTIONS HAVING
LIVED A LOT OF IT FOR THE LAST TWENTY PLUS YEARS.
          
	  
	WHEN I FIRST GOT TO DEC, IN THE SPRING OF 1967, THERE WERE ABOUT
TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE WORLDWIDE WEARING THOSE DIGITAL BADGES YOU SPOKE OF.
THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MIND WAS, I WISH I HAD BEEN HERE TWO YEARS
AGO! SOME OF US, EVEN THEN, FELT OUT OF PLACE, DISTANT, UNCONNECTED.  WHAT
WAS THE CULTURE, AND HOW COULD I FIT INTO IT.  WE WERE HIRING ABOUT
TWENTY-FIVE TO THIRTY PEOPLE A WEEK BACK THEN, AND THAT SEEMED INCREDIBLE.
WE STILL SHARED THE MILL WITH OTHER COMPANIES.  WHEN YOU TOOK THE ELEVATOR
UP AND DOWN, WE WOULD PASS THESE OTHER COMPANIES.  OUR ONLY INTERACTIONS
WERE SMILES AND WAVES IN PASSING. THEY DID HOWEVER, ALWAY'S SEEM TO HAVE
BETTER VENDING MACHINES. 
          
	THE AVERAGE AGE WAS ABOUT TWENTY-TWO OR THREE, AND IT WAS THE
SIXTIES, SO THE CULTURE WITHIN DEC AT THE TIME WAS ONE OF BUSINESS, AND
ONE OF REBELLION.  SOME OF US WERE MISSING THE WAR, AND SOME WERE ABLE TO
SHOW THE SCAR'S OF WAR.  IN ANY CASE, THE MAJORITY OF INDIVIDUALS WERE
YOUNG, MOST OF US WERE MAKING MONEY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR LIVES, AND
A LOT OF US WERE MISPLACED SOLES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TRYING TO START
OUT IN LIFE AND HAVE SOME FUN.  MOST OF US WERE SINGLE.  WE WORKED HARD
AND WE PLAYED HARD.  WE GREW UP TOGETHER, FOOLED AROUND TOGETHER, GOT
ENGAGED, GOT MARRIED, FOOLED AROUND, GOT IN TROUBLE, AS ONE BIG WAVE
GROWING WITHIN DEC.  WE CHANGED FROM LONG HAIR,CORDS,AND SHORT SKIRTS
TO SHORT HAIR AND THREE PIECE PIN STRIPED SUITS FOR ALL OF US.
          
	THE THINGS THAT HELD US TOGETHER WERE BOTH BUSINESS AND PERSONAL.
WE KNEW EACH OTHER AND THOSE THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WERE AUTOMATICALLY
ACCEPTED BECAUSE WE WERE GROWING UP TOGETHER.  WE DIDN'T SEE
COMPETITION, WE WERE LEADERS IN A INDUSTRY AND WE WORKED MOSTLY WITH
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, EVERYONE WAS EITHER AN ENGINEER OR A TECHNICIAN,
OR TRYING TO BE ONE. OUR MENTORS WERE OLD, AT LEAST THIRTY FIVE, SOME AS OLD
AS FORTY, WITH REAL GREY HAIR AND EVERYTHING.
THE MARKETING AND SALES PEOPLE WERE ALSO ENGINEERS, BUT WERE TRYING ON A NEW
ROLE.  WE HAD WINDOWS FOR AIR CONDITIONING, OIL ON THE FLOORS THAT MANY
OF US SLIPPED AND FELL ON, AND SPIDERS THAT FEEL ON OUR HEADS WHEN THEY
SPRAYED THE MILL, WE FISHED OUT OF THE WINDOWS, MADE BLOW GUNS FROM
CONDUIT (HELP FROM THE M.I.T DROPOUTS), RODE AROUND ON FORK LIFT TRUCKS,
OUR OFFICES WERE SIMPLE FIBERBOARD SHEETS WITH STAPLES HOLDING THEM
TOGETHER, SOME HAD TRIM STRIPS AND SOME DIDN'T.  I SAW PEOPLE COME FOR
INTERVIEWS AND LEAVE SAYING THAT THEY WOULD NEVER WORK IN A DUMP LIKE
THIS.  IT LOOKED PRETTY GOOD TO US. THIS IS WERE WE WORKED AND PLAYED.
THIS IS WERE WE SPENT OUR DAY'S, NIGHTS, WEEKENDS, TRYING TO DESIGN
AND BUILD PRODUCTS.  THIS IS WERE WE CAME BACK TO AFTER BEING IN THE
HOSPITAL FOR EXHAUSTION, AFTER WORKING TILL WE DROPPED.  THIS IS THE
PLACE WERE WE BUSTED INTO THE STOCKROOM OVER THE WEEKEND, BECAUSE WE
NEEDED THE PARTS TO PUT IN A LAST MINUTE CHANGE. THIS IS WHERE WE USED
HEAT GUNS TO COOK OUR SUPPERS, SO WE COULD KEEP WORKING.
          
	THIS WAS THE PLACE THAT WHEN THERE WASN'T ANY WORK, WE SORTED
SCREWS, SWEPT PARKING LOTS, PAINTED LINES, READ TECHNICAL MANUALS, OR
WERE MOVED TO OTHER GROUPS TO HELP UNTIL THINGS PICKED UP.  THIS WAS
NOT THE PLACE WERE WE HAD TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING KICKED OUT, OR GETTING
PINK SLIP SURPRISES LATE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.  WE FELT LIKE PART OF
THE BUSINESS, WE PUT IN OUR TIME, OUR ENERGY, OUR YOUTH.  WE WERE
COMMITTED TO THE COMPANY AND THE COMPANY WAS COMMITTED TO US.  THIS WAS
UNDERSTOOD THROUGH ACTIONS, NOT ON DOCUMENTS.  WE WERE NOT TOLD, WE WERE
SHOWN, THROUGH EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS.  IF WE HAD SPARE TIME, WE WERE
SENT FOR TRAINING, EVERYONE NEEDED TO LEARN MORE, NO ONE KNEW WHERE THIS
BUSINESS WAS GOING, WE JUST KNEW WE WERE GOING TOGETHER.
          
	I TALKED TO AN INDIVIDUAL A FEW WEEKS AGO AND HE TOLD ME THAT
DEC WAS OUT OF CONTROL, THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THAT WE COULD MANAGE
MOVING FROM 125 THOUSAND PEOPLE TO 150 THOUSAND PEOPLE WITHOUT FALLING
APART.  I LAUGHED, AND SAID THAT WHEN I STARTED THERE WERE TWO THOUSAND OF
US, AND THAT NOW THERE WERE 115 THOUSAND OF US, AND I WAS STILL HERE.
THAT WE WERE STILL MAKING IT, AND THAT WE KNEW HOW TO GROW BECAUSE WE
NEVER STOPPED GROWING.  HIS PICTURE IN TIME, WAS JUST THAT, AND FIVE
YEARS FROM NOW HE WOULD PROBABLY BE TELLING SOMEONE ELSE THE SAME THING. 
          
	DEC HAS A CULTURE, BUT IT DIDN'T STOP YEARS AGO LIKE MOST PEOPLE
BELIEVE.  WE ARE IN IT NOW, BECOMMING A PART OF IT, ADDING TO IT. THESE
ARE THE GOOD OLD DAY'S. THE NEW PEOPLE JUST HAVE TO STAY AROUND LONG
ENOUGH TO SEE IT.
          
	OUR COMPANY HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS AND I ASSUME IT WILL
CONTINUE TO CHANGE THROUGHOUT TIME.  WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT TOGETHER
AND SOME OF US, WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND LONGER, WILL TELL YOU THAT WE
WISH A FEW THINGS DIDN'T CHANGE.  
          
	THOSE THINGS ARE HONESTY, AND INTEGRITY.
          
	THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE TODAY WHO LOST OR MISSED A COUPLE OF
NORMS WE HAD IN THE PAST, AND RELIED UPON DAY TO DAY.
          
	WHEN WE WERE IN TROUBLE, WE TOLD SOMEONE. WE DIDN'T HIDE THINGS.
WE ASKED FOR HELP AND HELP WOULD COME.  WHEN WE MADE MISTAKES, OUR MENTORS
WOULD PICK US UP, DUST US OFF, SMILE AND SEND US ONWARD.  TODAY IF 
SOMEONE FAILS, WE PUT THEM OUT TO PASTURE, SOME COME BACK, SOME DON'T.
          
	WHEN WE PLAN OUR PROJECTS WE TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR,
NOT WHAT IT WILL TAKE.  WE LET PEOPLE DO THIS AND THEN WE BLAME THEM LATER,
INSTEAD OF SHARING OUR HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE OF HOW LONG IT REALLY TAKES,
AND GUIDING THEM OUT OF TROUBLE.
          
    	IT USED TO BE O.K. TO SAY I SCREWED UP AND NEED HELP.  I HAVEN'T
SEEN ANYONE ADMIT THAT IN YEARS. AT LEAST NOT EARLY ENOUGH TO HELP THEM.
          
    	I CAN REMEMBER WHEN WE SAID WE HAD HIRED TOO MANY BUSINESS 
GRADUATES, IT FEELS LIKE WE HIRED TO MANY FINANCIAL GRADS, NOW.
          
          
    	IN CLOSING LET ME SAY THAT DEC HAS A CULTURE, AND IF YOU STAY
AROUND LONG ENOUGH YOU WILL UNDERSTAND IT, NOT BECAUSE YOU TALKED TO A
LOT OF THE OLD FOLKS, BUT BECAUSE YOU BECAME A PART OF IT, LIVED IT
SLEPT IT, LOVED IT. THE LEGEND IS THE MYSTIC, AND LIKE ANY LEGEND SOME
PEOPLE GO LOOKING FOR IT.  AS FOR THE CLOCK TOWER, IS IT WORKING YET?
          
          
    	MY MESSAGE TO YOU IS NOT AS CLEAN, I DIDN'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME
FIXING THE SPELLING, AND GRAMMER, BECAUSE I'AM HERE ON A SATURDAY DOING
WHAT I NEED TO DO, TO KEEP US COMPETITIVE, PROFITABLE, AND IN BUSINESS
FOR THE LONG HAUL. THAT'S THE DEC WAY! A PIECE OF THE CULTURE.  I DON'T
HAVE ALL OF THE DISTRIBUTION LISTS THAT YOU HAVE, BUT I CHALLENGE YOU
TO SEND THIS MESSAGE OUT TO THE SAME.
          
          
    	  				A 1967 IMMIGRANT
          
          
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    This topic (and the text that this note replies to) have been discussed
    extensively in HUMAN::DIGITAL.  I would suggest continuing the
    discussion there.  Press KP7 to add it to your notebook.
    
    					Steve

    Sorry Steve, as I am not a member of HUMAN::DIGITAL, I was unaware
    that it was being discussed there.
    
    CC
    

    No apology is necessary.  I just thought that this topic falls
    squarely into the realm of HUMAN::DIGITAL and that it seemed 
    best to discuss the topic in the more complete context that is there.
    
    Please be aware, though, that the moderators of HUMAN::DIGITAL have
    requested that that conference not be accessed during 8AM-5PM
    Maynard time.
    				Steve

    RE: .3
    
    > Please be aware, though, that the moderators of HUMAN::DIGITAL have
    > requested that the conference not be accessed during 8AM-5PM
    > Maynard time.
    
    Steve, sounds almost as convenient as the hours the Registry of
    Motor Vehicles used to have. :-)
    
      Alan 

    No wonder I'm not a member of that conference.
    
    CC
    

    Nobody is a "member" of DIGITAL - it is an unrestricted conference.
    You can use nightly batch extractions, or if it is truly inconvenient,
    access during lunchtime is probably ok.
    
    				Steve