One of my pet hates is management gobbledygook, or management speak, more commonly known as idioms.
Are they meaningful and helpful phrases that help make the discussion more concise, or are they used by management to hide the fact that they do not know what is going on, and helps managers avoid getting involved and actually doing any work themselves?
Before we discuss why they are used let me first of all give an idea of what some of the phrases/idioms are actually supposed to mean.
Run it up the flagpole
‘Run it up the flagpole’ is the first half of a longer idiom—run it up the flagpole and see who salutes it.
The literal meaning of run it up the flagpole is to raise a flag upon a flagpole. The visual aspect of the idiom is to see how many people pay attention to the raising of the flag, who salutes it and who ignores it.
A Phrase which became popular in the United States during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It means “to present an idea tentatively and see whether it receives a favourable reaction”.
The following are some examples of how the phrase can be used:-
When proposing an idea “I have this new marketing strategy. Let’s run it up the flagpole at the next meeting and see what the team thinks.”
Testing a Concept “Why don’t we run this new app design up the flagpole with a few focus groups before we launch it?”
When suggesting a plan “We could try implementing flextime for employees. We could run it up the flagpole with management and see their reaction.”
When seeking feedback “I’m not sure about the layout for the website. Let’s run it up the flagpole and see what our users think.”
When asking a question “Should we run this new policy up the flagpole before rolling it out company-wide?”
In Summary the expression refers to the context of brainstorming ideas and making suggestions to see who likes it.
Take a look under the bonnet and see what we find
The idiom “look under the bonnet” originates from the automotive world and has evolved to have broader meanings in various contexts.
Literally, it refers to the act of opening a car’s hood (or bonnet) to inspect the engine. This is often done to check for issues or perform maintenance.
Here are the primary interpretations:
1. Figuratively, it means to examine the internal workings of something, whether that be a system, process, or even a person’s mind. For example, you might “look under the hood” of a software program to understand how it operates, or you might do so in a metaphorical sense to explore someone’s thoughts or emotions.
2. In discussions about technology or business, “looking under the hood” can imply investigating the underlying mechanisms that drive performance or behaviour, allowing for a deeper understanding of how things function beyond their surface appearance.
In summary, “look under the Bonnet” encourages a closer examination of the inner workings of something, whether it’s a vehicle or a more abstract concept. This idiom highlights the importance of understanding what lies beneath the surface to gain a comprehensive view of a situation or object
As can be seen, on the surface it looks like they are all helpful phrases that help summarise certain situations and/or actions.
However the can also be tools used by management to hide the fact that they haven’t actually got a clue about what is happening!
For example, “Take a look under the bonnet and see what’s underneath”,.
It could imply that the manager is asking you to take a look at the underlying issues and see how they affect what is happening when something is not happening as it should, or it could be that the manager is using this phrase to hide the fact that they have no clue as to what is really happening or what is being discussed.
To help in deciding which of the above is the true reason for using the idiom we need to know the context in which the idiom is being used.
If it is being used in a general discussion, to encourage the team to look deeper into the issues relating to a particular problem, or is it being used in answer to a question/query of a team member?
If the former then the use of the idiom can be said to be used to help the manager summarise the actions he wants the team to take, for example further analysis/investigation of the issues causing the problem.
However, if it is the latter, a response to a co-workers request for help, then it is probably being used by the manager to hide the fact that they haven’t a clue as to what is happening, and have no idea what the problem is nor anything about the issues, and how to help resolve them.
If they do understand the situation and/or issues that are causing the problem then why not just make a properly worded suggestion, such as “Why not look at the calculation process, as it looks like the item cost is be being divided by the number of items rather than being multiplied by the number of items”. Which is more helpful and could result in the issues being resolved much quickly.
It could be argued that an idiom should not be used in any context, as they can lead to confusion as to what each team member should be doing to resolve the problem.
It would be much clearer for the manger to just tell each team member exactly what he/she wants a particular team member to do rather than allow each team member to decide for themselves, what part of whatever lays under the bonnet they should be looking at.
It may be that the manager, may be afraid that the project is going to fail, so rather than give specific instructions to staff, wants to intentionally be ambiguous, so the staff can be blamed for the failure rather than themselves.
It could be that managers, or any body else who use idioms in everyday communication, are just afraid of looking incompetent, or lacking basic product knowledge, and believes that using Idioms makes them look more intelligent to their staff. When in fact at best it only serves to make them look incompetent and a figure of fun, and at worst causes confusion and decreases the productivity of the team!
Here are a few more examples of management idioms:-
(The/Da) Man
Meaning, an informal phrase mainly used to refer to a person in power or authority.
Example, ask Simon, If you want to take more time off, as he’s the man.
Cross all of The T’s, and dot all the i’s
Meaning, to be meticulous and thorough in completing a task.
Example, When it comes to contracts, you can trust Chris to Cross all of the T’s, and dot all the i’s
Think outside the Box
Meaning, to think creatively and consider new ideas that are not limited by traditional constraints. Emerging in the 1980s, this phrase encourages creative thinking beyond conventional boundaries. It originated from business discussions where teams were urged to approach problems in innovative ways. It has become a common call for originality in various fields.
Example, It would help to solve this problem, if we think outside the box.