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> You’ve got to recognize that companies are schizophrenic. They build process, and rules, and structure and they ask you to follow them: > [...] > But great

> You’ve got to recognize that companies are schizophrenic. They build process, and rules, and structure and they ask you to follow them: > [...] > But greatness rarely happens by following rules, process and structure. That is why companies also want to find employees ready to take risks, make decisions, try new things, move fast and even break things. The inconsistencies and contradictions you describe are not symptoms of schizophrenia. If you need a medical label, how about dissociative identity disorder? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia#Positive_and_negative_symptoms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia#Positive_and_neg... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder#Signs_and_symptoms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder... That said, I believe that these opposing goals are normal, expected, and desirable, so your mental illness model doesn't really work for me.

nbouscal 13y ago
It was clear from the context that he was not using 'schizophrenic' as a medical label (since he was not applying it to a human), but rather as a metaphor that most people would easily understand. Picking nits does not contribute to the conversation, but rather diverts from it (as we can observe happening in this very comment). Since you seem to have an opinion on the conversation, namely that the goals he lists are desirable, it would benefit everyone significantly more for you to explain your basis for that opinion rather than go off on completely irrelevant tangents about mental health.
- foobarbazqux 13y ago
  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schizophrenic http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schizophrenic What can I say, the informal usage of the word irritates me. I'm sure if he said that companies are kind of gay, and then proceeded to list a bunch of qualities that had nothing to do with homosexuality but rather the informal usage of the term (as we all know all too well from high school), it would be a problem. Same thing.
  - marrs 13y ago
    Would it also be a problem if they listed qualities like happy and frivolous? Or is that a legitimate definition of gay in your eyes?
    - foobarbazqux 13y ago
      Totally illegitimate and you won't find those meanings in any respectable dictionary.
jamesaguilar 13y ago
Oh, man, love me some pedantry. Could be the most productive of all engineering attributes. (Followed by sarcasm T_T.)
- foobarbazqux 13y ago
  The irony here is the truth in your sarcasm. I guess it depends on how you define productive. Would you want a non-pedantic engineer to build you a bridge?
  - jamesaguilar 13y ago
    It would be fine because pedantry is not the same as meticulousness. Also, we're talking about a blog post here, not a bridge. For fuck's sake.
    - foobarbazqux 13y ago
      It appears that one of my bees has gotten into your bonnet. My humble apologies.

nbouscal 13y ago

It was clear from the context that he was not using 'schizophrenic' as a medical label (since he was not applying it to a human), but rather as a metaphor that most people would easily understand. Picking nits does not contribute to the conversation, but rather diverts from it (as we can observe happening in this very comment). Since you seem to have an opinion on the conversation, namely that the goals he lists are desirable, it would benefit everyone significantly more for you to explain your basis for that opinion rather than go off on completely irrelevant tangents about mental health.

foobarbazqux 13y ago
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schizophrenic http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schizophrenic What can I say, the informal usage of the word irritates me. I'm sure if he said that companies are kind of gay, and then proceeded to list a bunch of qualities that had nothing to do with homosexuality but rather the informal usage of the term (as we all know all too well from high school), it would be a problem. Same thing.
- marrs 13y ago
  Would it also be a problem if they listed qualities like happy and frivolous? Or is that a legitimate definition of gay in your eyes?
  - foobarbazqux 13y ago
    Totally illegitimate and you won't find those meanings in any respectable dictionary.

jamesaguilar 13y ago

Oh, man, love me some pedantry. Could be the most productive of all engineering attributes. (Followed by sarcasm T_T.)

foobarbazqux 13y ago
The irony here is the truth in your sarcasm. I guess it depends on how you define productive. Would you want a non-pedantic engineer to build you a bridge?
- jamesaguilar 13y ago
  It would be fine because pedantry is not the same as meticulousness. Also, we're talking about a blog post here, not a bridge. For fuck's sake.
  - foobarbazqux 13y ago
    It appears that one of my bees has gotten into your bonnet. My humble apologies.