Working in a coterie-driven company can make you easily realize why professionalism is so important not only for organizational success but also for true employee engagement.
And if a coterie-driven company is a small sized but wannabe big company then you have had it!
In such companies, the top people form a close-knit coterie and make sure they maintain their inner circle status.
Simple things like budget for a department and for any activity that comes up during the course of operations in the year are not dealt with needed transparency.
Since the top man and his coterie are not professional to the required degree, routine decisions like approval for training require special treatment.
In addition, since the members of coterie are neither professionally competent nor operationally empowered they need to get the top man's approval even for seemingly simple things like training, seminars, etc.
And yes, if you are not part of the coterie, every penny spent needs to be accounted for.
In certain cases, where an approval is needed by the members of the coterie for something they do not taken ownership of (though they should), they keep on passing the buck and play behind-the-scene games.
The members of coterie work like a cohort with the sole aim of protecting their turfs and the fiefdom of the top man.
The reporting structure in such organizations is laughably inefficient at the best and maliciously unprofessional at the worst.
The only aim of reporting structure is to maintain the hegemony of the top man and his coterie.
The other dangerous aspect of such organizations is the fact that the coterie is the inner circle whereas others are outsiders.
So if you are dealing with the coterie and the top man, beware. You must recognize you are in an unequal fight.
Competency has no place in such companies. The earlier and faster you realize and understand this, the better for your mental balance and professional journey.
The best thing to do is of course to move on, fast and without loosing any time.
And in case you have to tolerate your precarious situation for more time, you need to have loads of patience and stay clam and quiet.
Remember the following:
"Stay calm and quiet. You are passing through coterie-infested zone".
Good luck to you for moving on. And better luck till you have to stay put.
And if a coterie-driven company is a small sized but wannabe big company then you have had it!
In such companies, the top people form a close-knit coterie and make sure they maintain their inner circle status.
Simple things like budget for a department and for any activity that comes up during the course of operations in the year are not dealt with needed transparency.
Since the top man and his coterie are not professional to the required degree, routine decisions like approval for training require special treatment.
In addition, since the members of coterie are neither professionally competent nor operationally empowered they need to get the top man's approval even for seemingly simple things like training, seminars, etc.
And yes, if you are not part of the coterie, every penny spent needs to be accounted for.
In certain cases, where an approval is needed by the members of the coterie for something they do not taken ownership of (though they should), they keep on passing the buck and play behind-the-scene games.
The members of coterie work like a cohort with the sole aim of protecting their turfs and the fiefdom of the top man.
The reporting structure in such organizations is laughably inefficient at the best and maliciously unprofessional at the worst.
The only aim of reporting structure is to maintain the hegemony of the top man and his coterie.
The other dangerous aspect of such organizations is the fact that the coterie is the inner circle whereas others are outsiders.
So if you are dealing with the coterie and the top man, beware. You must recognize you are in an unequal fight.
Competency has no place in such companies. The earlier and faster you realize and understand this, the better for your mental balance and professional journey.
The best thing to do is of course to move on, fast and without loosing any time.
And in case you have to tolerate your precarious situation for more time, you need to have loads of patience and stay clam and quiet.
Remember the following:
"Stay calm and quiet. You are passing through coterie-infested zone".
Good luck to you for moving on. And better luck till you have to stay put.
