Robert Scoble on Microsoft and Benefits
Scoble posts his view regarding Microsoft, benefits, and changes at: http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2004/07/08.html#a7970. It's a good view to read and points out that Microsoft truly has some kick-ass benefits.
However, while Robert feels that his Channel 9 subversive community site represents something any employee can do at Microsoft, I think he fails to take into account the currency he has coming into the company, especially on the rise of RSS and blogging. He can get away with a lot more than I can.
Do I wish more employees would do something like this as well? Yes. Do I wish we didn't have to go on a hiring spree to acquire stars like Scoble, Box, and Sells? Yes. Do I wish we could focus on growing our own rather smart people from the inside to be Scobles, Boxes, and Sells? Hell yes!
3 comments:
What do you think MSFT could do to better develop current employees?
Mini-MSFT: What can Microsoft do to enable employees to develop into all-around stars? Super question and a full topic and then some of itself. But briefly: Microsoft is too top heavy in its leadership right now. I see various groups so driven by their upper leadership decision making that creativity and innovation is being sucked out of them. Also, folks (PM, test, and dev) are usually 125% scheduled. This schedule is again constructed from the top down. We're becoming very good process wonks. Not so good at unstructured creative innovation and deep thinking play time. All contributors with the talent should have allowed time to write tools, articles, books, whatever and if they do well then find their team cheering them on and being inspired.
So what can Microsoft do? Let up on the overscheduling for those that want to step up to the plate to do something creative and beyond the scheduled Project items with their names on it. Right now, it's all about shipping the feature. So we ship, and so we evolve into sheep.
125%? I'd love it if I was only working a 50 hour week. I'm @MSFT and I'd say it's more like I'm scheduled for 150% based on consistent 60hr+ weeks with peak times reaching into the 70 hour weeks. I feel actually a lot less productive due to the fact that I'm multitasking across so many times that my context switching overhead is really way too high.
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