The classical mode of interpersonal interaction in a big organization is via orders from the Boss ("it all flows downhill", to allude to a crude common proverb). New-age management espouses "upward feedback", wherein the indians comment on their chiefs' activities. Even more trendy today is "360 evaluation", which encourages workers to critique their colleagues. With each increase in dimensionality the opportunity for gamesmanship increases. So does the chance to generate ill-will within a workgroup.

So what comes next? I fearlessly forecast that some clever consultant, any moment now, will flip through a solid geometry textbook, discover that a sphere has an angular surface area of ~12.56637 steradadians, and thereby be inspired to invent — drum roll, please — Four Pi Feedback. (You saw it here first.)

What does it mean? Don't worry! Meaning isn't required to create a best-selling doctrine in corporate psychology. All you really need is a novel metaphor ....

(see also PowerAsPerception (5 Jan 2000), ...)

TopicHumor - TopicOrganizations - 2003-01-27

Hmm... trig terms... bisection critque, followed by trisection critique, followed by vivisection critique.... – Bo Leuf

(correlates: ExpandingContexts, CultOfLeadership, HerodotusOnFreedom, ...)