The Working Week 9: Chetan Dhruve
What is it that makes millions of people around the world, regardless of their national culture, afraid of their bosses? This week, Wayne is joined from India by author Chetan Dhruve to discuss his theory that our workplaces are unwittingly designed to produce fear - that all bosses are, by definition, programmed to be dictators.
42 seconds - Wayne introduces the latest show and launches straight in on a story about how Microsoft has created a fully functioning office in a tree in a London park! - time to start moofing - getting in on the Mobile Out Of Office initiative.
1 minute and 34 seconds - This week advice columnist Cali Yost answers a visitors angst about what to do if your boss won’t let you take advantage of flexible working hours.
2 minutes and 9 seconds - Check out Max McKeown’s article on how Nintendo are winning the console wars by changing the rules.
3 minutes and 50 seconds - Wayne introduces Chetan Dhruve, author of newly-published book, Why your Boss is Programmed to be a Dictator to talk about why he believes fear rules the workplace.
4 minutes and 40 seconds - According to Chetan, the traditional approach is to focus on the personality and to blame the individual. Why is the problem so widespread? Why are people scared of bosses?
6 minutes - Wayne probes Chetan further on the systemic problem that is apparently designed to create dictators.
8 minutes and 20 seconds - Chetan explains that in today’s workplace, we over-use the term “leader”. But by definition, a leader is elected. In the workplace bosses have power but they are not elected - which makes them, by definition, dictators.
9 minutes and 38 seconds - Unconvinced, Wayne asks what you can do about this dynamic.
10 minutes - Chetan adds that people need to be able to say what they know and feel. If you are in a dictatorship system, you do what your boss wants.
13 minutes - So what practical steps can bosses take to be less dictatorial? Wayne asks.
13 minutes and 10 seconds. Chetan suggests that perhaps their pay check could be partially based on feedback from their team.
