Ducks In A Row: Acronyms Of Corporate Culture
by Miki Saxon
The world is full of acronyms and many are part of corporate culture, but all acronyms are not created equal.
Many are benign, as in executive titles,
- CEO – Chief Executive Officer, COO – Chief Operating Officer, CFO – Chief Financial Officer, CTO – Chief Technology Officer;
or defining the legal entity,
- DBA – Doing Business As, LLC – Limited Liability Company, LLP – Limited Liability Partnership;
or general business terms,
- COB – Close Of Business, COGS – Cost of Goods Sold, PL – Profit and Loss, PO – Purchase Order, QA – Quality Assurance, QC – Quality Control;
or oriented to customers,
- CRM – Client Relationship Management, CSR – Customer Service Rep.
And, of course, the hundreds that are used in the technology world.
Common acronyms or those used within a particular industry are relatively harmless, as long as they’re used sensibly and not to confuse—people who overuse acronyms are PIBs (pain in butt).
There are acronyms that identify dysfunctional people, the ones that aren’t pulling their weight because they’re using,
- OPT – Other People’s Time, OPR – Other People’s Resources, OPM – Other People’s Money.
Then there are the ones that identify actions and MAP that spell big trouble for any culture and need to be eradicated immediately.
- NIMBY – Not In My Back Yard
- NIH – Not Invented Here
- WAM – What About Me
- WIIFM – What’s In It For Me
NIMBY thinking can stifle innovation when it causes discomfort to an individual, group or even division under the corporate umbrella.
NIH also stifles innovation by blinding people to events and new products produced by the competition or other changes in the marketplace.
WAM is different than WIIFM. WAM is usually in response to something good happening to another person; it may be as minor as a compliment from the boss or as substantial as a raise or promotion, whereas WIIFM is the desire to know what personal benefits accrue in return for doing what’s asked. WIIFM isn’t always bad; it can be put to good use by channeling it into positive VSI.
What about your workplace? What acronyms do you hear? Which do you use?
Your comments—priceless
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Image credit: flickr
