Monday, February 22, 2010

No more bullshit at Xerox. Ursula M. Burns in the New York Times

In 1969, Neil Postman made a presentation at the National Convention for the Teachers of English [NCTE], November 28, 1969, Washington, D.C.. The title is "Bullshit and the Art of Crap-Detection"

From what I think I see, Ursula M Burns knows all about it.
Xerox’s New Chief Tries to Redefine Its Culture

“Terminal niceness,” is how she describes an aspect of Xerox’s culture, during her all-hands speech. “We are really, really, really nice.”

Maybe the “Xerox family,” she says, should act a bit more like a real family.

“When we’re in the family, you don’t have to be as nice as when you’re outside of the family,” she says. “I want us to stay civil and kind, but we have to be frank — and the reason we can be frank is because we are all in the same family.”

Nods of recognition ripple across the audience.

“We know it. We know what we do,” she continues, describing meetings where some people present and others just listen. “And then the meeting ends, and we leave and go, ‘Man, that wasn’t true.’ I’m like, ‘Why didn’t you say that in the meeting?’ ”

3 comments:

  1. Ursula Barns took over just in time. As much of a family Xerox may be, they were a family without a leader (someone to sit at the head of the dinner table). Xerox has also encountered a lot of criticism, and unexpected speed bumps, around the same time that Barns had to take the wheel. I think that she is the only one who can run that company at this point in time, and I couldn't see anyone else doing the job to the precision that she is.

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  2. I think that she is the only one who can run that company at this point in time. Thanks for this article.

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