3 Thoughts on Working in the Social Hierarchy
#GTIdeology Rejoinder to June 2, 2016
The #GTIdeology’s 4th Radical Idea is essentially the bridge from our work as in the Organization to our interaction with and impact on society as an organization comprised of its individual members.
It intends to deal directly with the social hierarchy, which I identify as the root of America’s ubiquitous social dysfunction.
Here are three thoughts on that germane to Thursday’s happy hour discussion.
Yes, there is dignity in work, but not in the “character building” sense promulgated by society.
The dignity of work is in being a contributing producer and providing for oneself instead of being dependent on others, not work qua work. There is nothing inherently dignified about mopping a floor, cleaning a toilet, or being an unnecessary layer of managerial bureaucracy.
No one should ever be denied dignity because of their work.
Too often, the “dignity in all work” is a thinly veiled condescension to those “below” others in the social hierarchy — “I wouldn’t do it, but…” — said by the likes of useless middle managers of necessary janitors.
That is problematic, but reflects the broader tendency to demean those “beneath us,” in the social hierarchy. And it is not always done so subtly. More than once in my life I have reamed other customers for demeaning and mistreating servers and other “menial” workers.
No person working either to specification or, much less, to personal capacity, should ever be demeaned by another for the work they are doing.
Pay structures reinforce the hierarchy
Typical pay structures reflect and entrench the social hierarchy.
Just as it is a problem that the useless manager is paid twice or thrice the janitor’s salary, it is a problem that “college kids” doing grunt labor or manning the fast food grill are treated with more dignity than those doing the same work as an entry level job.
It leads to the student becoming the condescending middle manager in 10 years, when the hierarchical assumptions manifest as salary.
About Vince Skolny
Vince Skolny is currently launching the Skolny Organization, a family of for-profit companies, on his radical idea that greatness is only created through the Individual, with the essential purpose of impacting the world by creating and encouraging greatness through the Individual in business, life, and society.
This is Vince’s weekly rejoinder to SkolnyOrg’s #GTIdeology Happy Hour twitter discussion.
Pronounced G-T-Ideology and comprising “7 Radical Ideas to Impact the World,” the Skolny Organization’s GTIdeology is a comprehensive ideology for business rooted in Vince’s philosophy of Greatness through the Individual.
Connecting with Vince
The very best way to connect with Vince is by hanging out with him on Twitter, where he talks about everything from marketing to March Madness, greatness through the Individual, current events, organizational development, and trending hashtags. He is unvarnished, unfiltered, and quite often unprofessional, but Vince loves to tweet.
Follow Vince on LinkedIn to discuss the GTIdeology and its practical applications for business and careers in more detail. He posts both a Greatness in Your Career article and a GTIdeology RX article focusing on practical implementation of the GTIdeology every week. He also posts several updates every day on the GTIdeology and various tactical aspects of business.
Like Vince’s fledgling Facebook page, where he publishes daily lists, tips, hacks, and challenges for creating Greatness through the Individual and intends to build a thriving community of individuals striving to create and encourage it in their own lives, business, and society.
