The Ten Most Annoying Management Terms Of 2011

Business Insider ^ | Dec. 29, 2011 | Team Macro Man (TMM)

[Pharmboy]

Image: Dilbert.com

We are nearly at the end of 2011 and another year of mayhem behind. We will be judging our 2011 Non-Predictions and trying to dream up some new ones for 2012 in the next fortnight or so but this week we have been able to get some long needed admin done.

With it came a realisation that even if the financial industry is suffering, the creative management community has been in full swing dreaming up new terms and phrases to camouflage the blindingly obvious.

The evolution of ‘management speak’ means some phrases die and some survive and flourish. TMM really doesn't know what determines the success of one term or phrase over another other than, as with the arts, adoption and patronage by the most respected in the field. TMM hope that this year’s rash of newcomers all die off naturally but we would like to help with a shove into their deserved obscurity.

[andy58-in-nh]

As a business consultant, I agree the at the word "issue" is poorly-used - most often because it is never properly defined. One of the ways I teach people to differentiate is this:

Issues are things that are important for which there are also complications. If it is important, but there are no complications, then it is not an issue. If there are complications, but is not important, then it is not an issue.

That aside, my vote for the most overused Biz Buzz Word of the year is "stakeholder". It is frequently so ill-defined that it might refer to everyone from the company CEO to someone who inadvertently drops one of your products on his foot.

[central_va]

“profit center”
“proactive”
“underperforming”

[Old Sarge]

THAT was pure gold! Thank you!

[traditional1]

Diversity, Sensitivity, Empathy, Inclusion, Equal Opportunity, Orientation-neutral, Happy Holidays.

[Prospero]

“Please post pics. Thanks!”

[RockinRight]

“Reach Out” sounds like what nervous teenage boys do on a first date.

[RockinRight]

Here’s one:

“It is what it is.”

Makes me feel like saying “it is my foot in your ass.”

[Pharmboy]

Brilliant.

[DManA]

"We need to make better choices.".

Not sure why that bothers me so much but man it dies.

[Jeff Chandler]

Saying that Anthony Perkins (Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”) was crazy would be judgmental.

Not to mention mean spirited and divisive.

[jboot]

We no longer develop products and applications, we develop “Lines of Business.” Whatever those are.

[AdaGray]

I hate the term :you are being ‘tasked’” Managerspeak is always turning nouns into verbs.

[martin_fierro]

SalesWeaselSpeak I Have Heard:

• "At the end of the day"
• "Circle back and close the loop"
• "Close the loop"
• "Credentialize"
• "Do you have the bandwidth to...?"
• "Have visibility into..."
• "I wanted to connect with you..."
• "I'm out-of-pocket"
• "It is what it is"
• "Leverage"
• "My ask of you"
• "Reach out"
• "That's not my brand"

[C. Edmund Wright]

“Reach Out” sounds like what nervous teenage boys do on a first date.

Maybe if they're on a date with another teenage boy.......

[ealgeone]

I would add “EXPERIENCE” to the list...as in the car buying experience.

I hope you had a good shopping experience.

uggggggggg

[Conan the Librarian]

Partnering!

Partner It’s not an adjective, verb or adverb. It’s a noun!

[Roccus]

Every time I hear the phrase, "We welcome the competition" I want to scream "LIAR!!!

[jboot]

There are no problems anymore, only issues.

I used to duel with management over this when I worked telephone support back in the mid-nineties. We were not permitted to describe anything as a "Problem." This was seen as negative and perjorative of the company's good image. We could call the customer's problems one of two things: "Issues" or (cringe) "Features."

If you've never had to tell an enraged, crying, flamingly gay Broadway lighting designer "the behavior you are experiencing is a 'feature' of our product," you just haven't lived!

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

Likewise, I can’t stand when people say “challenge” when they mean “problem”.

[count-your-change]

Enough of:

Paradigm, bottom line, raising the bar, goal oriented, maximize (anything), human resources, hyphenated names, POTUS, focus group.....