Thursday, February 14, 2008

The Mokita Factor




Mokita

(Kiriwina, New Guinea), noun. "Truth everybody knows but nobody speaks."


[Source: They Have a Word for It by Howard Rheingold]



Some common workplace examples of mokita include these unspoken truths:


  1. A sizable percentage of our marketing doesn't work.


  2. Most departments have people who have retired on the job and at least one or two who are crazy.


  3. The boost from last year's motivational speaker evaporated by the time he reached the parking lot.


  4. The CEO tells everyone how important certain training is and then quietly slips out the door.


  5. People who are unreliable are rewarded with less work.


  6. The first-line supervisors know more about employment law than the folks in the executive suites.


  7. The HR Department is frequently regarded as more of an adversary than an ally.


  8. Middle managers are afraid to fire people.


  9. Frequent reorganizations are used to disguise poor management.


  10. Despite all of the hassles, most of us love our jobs.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm going to print this out and staple it to a co-worker's forehead.

Michael Wade said...

HR Wench,

That is good to hear although I personally recommend SuperGlue.

Heather said...

This only shows that whatever job we may be in we should work progressively and reliably. Working is a test also if you are a responsible person who knows your worth. :D