GSB Acronyms OOC*
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Alison Nickum, '06
Issue date: 10/14/04 Section: Perspectives
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I don't think I've ever seen as many acronyms thrown around as I have here at the GSB. Between LEAD (itself an acronym), student organizations, and other miscellany, I'm at the point where I'm silently hoping that I never see another capital letter again. Here's a short spattering of some of the ones I've been exposed to in just the last few weeks:
LOE, PROCESS, IMPACT, MBTI, TKI, ACT, LOFS, GBC, DSAC, DMAC, EVC, IMG, MCG, NSIT, CMS, HPC, DSO, GND, CMSG, BSG, CWIB, LPF, DAS, RBS, PBS, CCS...
Is all this really necessary?
In LEAD they tell us that acronyms are useful because they help people remember things. Well, yeah, they *used* to help me remember things, until I heard 50 of them in the first week! How can these "tools" for remembering possibly be effective in helping us remember, when we are inundated with them? Don't get me wrong, obviously it's easier to say a few short syllables than it is to try and spit out a full sentence, and for that reason I absolve student groups for their use of acronyms, for I know it reflects a mere willingness to shorten the mouthful. However, as far as LEAD and GSB/University services and departments are concerned, things are getting a bit iffy. I would be willing to offer $5 to anyone who remembers the components of "PROCESS" listening from the first week of LEAD (no peeking! And LEAD facilitators unfortunately are not eligible for this bet). This is most certainly not to say that the concept of "PROCESS" listening we learned in LEAD is not useful - I would be one of the first to acknowledge that improving communication skills is invaluable in business - but at the point when we're coming up with acronyms and then filling them with words from the outside in, something is amiss.
Back in my consulting days, circulating around the internet was this hilarious idea someone had to help people keep themselves from falling asleep in meetings: Bullshit Bingo. Anyone heard of this? If you came from consulting like I did, you almost certainly have. For anyone who hasn't, I will fill you in. (For reference, one version of Bullshit Bingo can be found at http://www.perkigoth.com/home/kermit/stuff/bullshitbingo.) Bullshit Bingo is a game in which you write a bunch of buzz words/phrases (such as "synergy," "out-of-the-box," "turnkey," "leverage," "dynamic," "robust," "ramp(ed) up", etc.) in a 5 x 5 grid, putting one word/phrase in each square (leaving the free square in the middle empty, of course, as any hard-core bingo player would know), and crossing words off if the speaker happens to mention them. Once you get a line of five, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and yell, "BULLSHIT!"
LOE, PROCESS, IMPACT, MBTI, TKI, ACT, LOFS, GBC, DSAC, DMAC, EVC, IMG, MCG, NSIT, CMS, HPC, DSO, GND, CMSG, BSG, CWIB, LPF, DAS, RBS, PBS, CCS...
Is all this really necessary?
In LEAD they tell us that acronyms are useful because they help people remember things. Well, yeah, they *used* to help me remember things, until I heard 50 of them in the first week! How can these "tools" for remembering possibly be effective in helping us remember, when we are inundated with them? Don't get me wrong, obviously it's easier to say a few short syllables than it is to try and spit out a full sentence, and for that reason I absolve student groups for their use of acronyms, for I know it reflects a mere willingness to shorten the mouthful. However, as far as LEAD and GSB/University services and departments are concerned, things are getting a bit iffy. I would be willing to offer $5 to anyone who remembers the components of "PROCESS" listening from the first week of LEAD (no peeking! And LEAD facilitators unfortunately are not eligible for this bet). This is most certainly not to say that the concept of "PROCESS" listening we learned in LEAD is not useful - I would be one of the first to acknowledge that improving communication skills is invaluable in business - but at the point when we're coming up with acronyms and then filling them with words from the outside in, something is amiss.
Back in my consulting days, circulating around the internet was this hilarious idea someone had to help people keep themselves from falling asleep in meetings: Bullshit Bingo. Anyone heard of this? If you came from consulting like I did, you almost certainly have. For anyone who hasn't, I will fill you in. (For reference, one version of Bullshit Bingo can be found at http://www.perkigoth.com/home/kermit/stuff/bullshitbingo.) Bullshit Bingo is a game in which you write a bunch of buzz words/phrases (such as "synergy," "out-of-the-box," "turnkey," "leverage," "dynamic," "robust," "ramp(ed) up", etc.) in a 5 x 5 grid, putting one word/phrase in each square (leaving the free square in the middle empty, of course, as any hard-core bingo player would know), and crossing words off if the speaker happens to mention them. Once you get a line of five, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and yell, "BULLSHIT!"