微軟的開會文化

老人的“Google老闆訂立開會原則”列名老人與蘋果有“史”以來最常被點閱的第二名文章，有7629次點閱。老人當時提到“如果你在成千上萬員工的公司上班，你就可知道公司為何不再進步的原因：沒效率的開會！... 要看一個公司的文化，在外看其廣告，在內看其開會。”
微軟就是如此！一個離開微軟的員工在他的文章“Frustration, Disappointment And Apathy: My Years At Microsoft 我在微軟的歲月：挫折、失望、和冷漠”，ㄧ語道出“看一個公司文化，看其開會”的道理。
The Microsoft Meeting:
“Microsoft culture expects you to be in meetings. Calendars need to be decorated with sufficient colourful blocks, to signal over-activity. 微軟的文化就是要你開會。你的日曆本得標記的彩色奔飛，密密麻麻，以顯示你的忙碌。
Dig a bit deeper and you’ll realise that Microsoft meetings are a way to diffuse and evade responsibility for decisions. Yes – let’s spend weeks on weeks “reviewing with stakeholders.” It’s so much safer that taking swift decisions ourselves. The company places no trust on the individual to make the right decision on their own.
So what happens in those meetings? Are they brainstorming earth-shattering new ideas? Are they inventing new products? Why are they getting paid to join so many of them? How can Microsoft afford to have so many of its employees fluffing about?
Because they can. Microsoft sits on stockpiles of cash, with about $60 billion earning interest in the bank. With that mystery out of the way, let’s take a look at some of those meetings: Strategy reviews, deep dives, virtual coffee breaks, quarterly off-sites, monthly get-togethers, director summits, leadership meetings, etc.
Yikes, who is going to organise all that? Fear not. Every team has their very own “business manager.” And since business managers are too senior to be bogged down with logistics, enter the legions of “support managers” and “administrative assistants” reporting to business managers.
Large companies have overheads, a necessary evil, you say. Overheads need to be managed. And managed they are: Group Managers, Program managers, General managers, together with ‘Senior’ flavours of those and a whole new breed of directors, stakeholders, business owners, relationship leads coupled with their own countless derivatives.
All those meeting-goers are not making anything. Deciding upon and making something is hard. And if this onerous activity has to be done, then hire external consultants for it. It’s easier and less risky. 所有的開會都沒決定任何事。開會決策變為最難的一件事。如果繁重的決策一定要做，那就決議聘請外部顧問。因為這樣事情會變得較容易且風險較小。
There is no creative tension, no vision these days. Left to Microsoft’s hands we’d still be toiling on overheating Vista desktops.
This company is becoming the McDonalds of computing. Cheap, mass products, available everywhere. No nutrients, no ideas, no culture. Windows 8 is a fine example. The new Metro interface displays nonstop, trivial updates from Facebook, Twitter, news sites and stock tickers. Streams of raw noise distract users from the moment they login.
In an already loud world, all Windows 8 does is increase the decibels.”

......所以你的公司像不像微軟？......