The South Pole book I’m re-reading is at the chapter about Navy personnel evaluations. Highly interesting for me, because it parallels my experiences at the phone company. I find the wording and choice of sides both amusing and outrageous. I know that all serious group cooperation problems manifest themselves within a month. Anything after that is a management problem. But that is where I stop agreeing. I point out that all management problems result from the nominal leaders, not the factual leaders. (Nominals are those who acquire position by appointment rather than by agreement.) The factual leaders never seem to have any problems with the personnel, only with nominal leaders who assert delegated authority, and the problem disappears when the nominal leader does the same.
There is also a sinister tendency for the evaluators to support the “correct” side of any dispute. If one man does not get along with two, it is assumed the majority is normal and the other has the “maladjustment”. Not me, I support the person who wants “quiet enjoyment”. Unless it is a specific paid duty of the job, it is not anyone’s obligation to keep another company. A man’s right to be left alone is supreme, his most prized right.
In their favor, I say the Navy men also report that the “maladjustment” reverses itself when you have educated people present. It is too often the educated lone wolf who is right and the establishment that is wrong. But since the Navy still supports the group at the expense of the individual, they only pay the fact lip service.
Contrary to what you may think from all this, I do get along very well in large groups. As long as things are as they should be. That’s with me on the stage getting paid and the rest of the group in the audience where they belong.
I got a very no nonsense e-mail from Jim, the guitarist. In a surprise move, he has correctly identified the Arty’s situation for what it was: a lucky break. He wants to pursue the country music idea (sorry if this is a repeat, but my house rules say such occurrences are top news here). I predict the duo will be so easy for us that he can still pursue his other music. Then again, if this project flies like I think, he will quickly forget about blues-rock-jazz fusion.
