Corporate bullshit
Corporate bullshit refers to vague, inflated, and often meaningless language used in business to obscure or distract from the reality of a situation. It is frequently deployed to make mundane or negative information sound more impressive, innovative, or positive. This practice is sometimes called “corporate speak,” “business jargon,” or “doublespeak”.
Common characteristics
- Obscures meaning: It replaces clear, simple language with convoluted phrases, making it difficult for outsiders—or even those within the company—to understand what is being said.
- Feigns significance: It uses buzzwords to make a simple concept sound more complex and intelligent than it is.
- Spreads corporate hypocrisy: It creates a gap between what a company says it does and what it actually does.
- Excludes and alienates: Overuse of jargon can create an “in-group” of those who understand the lingo, potentially alienating newcomers, non-native speakers, and others.
- Undermines trust: When leaders use corporate speak to mask a lack of strategy or poor performance, it can cause employees to disengage and lose faith in management.
Common corporate jargon and buzzwords • Synergy: The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. In practice, this often refers to vague, undefined collaboration.
- Leverage: To use something to maximum advantage. Often used instead of the simpler word “use.”
- Circle back: To discuss a topic again later.
- Bandwidth: To have the capacity or mental energy to take on more work.
- Drill down: To analyze information in more detail.
- Move the needle: To make a noticeable difference in a situation or metric.
- Low-hanging fruit: Tasks or goals that are easy to achieve.
- Think outside the box: To be creative or original.
- Win-win situation: An arrangement that benefits everyone involved.
Corporate doublespeak This is a more deceptive and manipulative form of corporate bullshit that rebrands a negative concept as positive.
- Right-sizing or down-sizing: Firing employees.
- Single-use camera: A camera that is simply thrown away after use.
- Strategic pause: An indefinite hold or delay of a project.
The impact of corporate bullshit While seemingly harmless, the reliance on corporate bullshit can have negative consequences for a business and its employees.
- Obstructed communication: Ineffective language can lead to confusion and mistakes, hurting productivity.
- Damaged culture: A lack of clear, authentic communication can erode employee trust and disengage the workforce.
- Avoidance of accountability: By speaking vaguely, leaders can evade responsibility for unpopular decisions or poor outcomes.
- Masked inefficiency: As argued by anthropologist David Graeber in Bullshit Jobs, corporate jargon can help disguise jobs and tasks that are, in fact, completely useless.
AI responses may include mistakes.
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[16] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHR/comments/1bl92j9/ks_received_this_email_from_hr_is_this_allowed/
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