Given that type of character within the working environment, I'd personally prefer that their communications were largely on-display to all the teams around them.
But their communications are often the last things to be shared, except when they are insisting that everyone else share everything. IME this is a bad idea for much the same reasons you don't want managers in code reviews. You don't promote honest feedback and constructive criticism when those giving and receiving the comments feel like management are snooping on everything all the time.
Them knowing everything that is going on doesn't necessarily seem a problem in itself, but if they're using that to cause disruption
Bingo. It's the disruption that causes the problem. But both micromanagement and chilling effects can be extremely disruptive.
> But both micromanagement and chilling effects can be extremely disruptive.
Completely agree.
> You don't promote honest feedback and constructive criticism when those giving and receiving the comments feel like management are snooping on everything all the time.
Also true.
But management couldn't do much to coerce people -- including plausibly-deniably intimidating, harassing and spooking staff -- even if they're watching everything they do -- without themselves entering into some risk.
Add to that the fact that any kind of sophisticated employee-trolling would require co-ordination and research, and transparency becomes more and more attractive, as long as it's applied in both directions.
(I'll add that part of the working theory here is that rank-and-file staff (non-management) are on equal footing; not always necessarily true, perhaps, but should be on aggregate for large enough populations)
But their communications are often the last things to be shared, except when they are insisting that everyone else share everything. IME this is a bad idea for much the same reasons you don't want managers in code reviews. You don't promote honest feedback and constructive criticism when those giving and receiving the comments feel like management are snooping on everything all the time.
Them knowing everything that is going on doesn't necessarily seem a problem in itself, but if they're using that to cause disruption
Bingo. It's the disruption that causes the problem. But both micromanagement and chilling effects can be extremely disruptive.