It's highly culturally dependent too. I found that in Singapore nobody with authority tolerated it, whereas authority in the US and UK was more tolerant.
Even more than culture and the nature of the boss, though, I think how many other people hear of the criticism. The optimal number is 0.
Bosses who don't have anything to prove tend to be more receptive, too. Vint squarely falls in that category. I'm not sure he'd be as receptive if he was at the tail end of an unimpressive middle management career, being challenged by some younger employees.
> It's highly culturally dependent too. I found that in Singapore nobody with authority tolerated it, whereas authority in the US and UK was more tolerant.
That's interesting. I think I would actually do better in such a culture. I actually have no problem at all respecting "chain of command" if that's part of some body of rules that are clearly stated or at least culturally implied. What I tend to have a problem with is power structures that are based on a web of humans manipulating each other while claiming they're not.
If you folks could help me brainstorm ideas for companies, geographies, social spheres and such, where strong hierarchies and little politics and psychological-level human manipulation is part of the culture, I'd certainly appreciate it. Some place where no one will ever say to me again: "Feel free to voice your disagreement. You're safe." I'm serious, I think it would help me out.
I'm a pacifist and strong believer in civil rights though, so anything in the armed forces or intelligence community is out.
They'd still protest that they're open to criticism of course. There were, if anything, more idiotic mind games centered around enforcing power structures. There was a rigid implied racial hierarchy too.
You're asking for a geographical location or a company where humans dont act human. I dont think it exists.
> ideas for companies, geographies, social spheres and such, where strong hierarchies and little politics and psychological-level human manipulation is part of the culture
Where there are humans, there is politics and psychological manipulation. In strong bureaucracies, this happens at the level of dictating what the rules are and how they should be interpreted, as well as in squabbling over titles and fiefdoms, instead of in each interaction around the actual work and resource allocation. So in some sense, it's actually worse!
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Unrelated to the observation above, I struggle squaring the idea of a pacifist that prefers hierarchies of dominance, since they're almost always founded on a thickly veiled threat of violence. (Even in a strict bureaucracy, you can hear the walls whisper "fill this form, or else...")
Even more than culture and the nature of the boss, though, I think how many other people hear of the criticism. The optimal number is 0.
Bosses who don't have anything to prove tend to be more receptive, too. Vint squarely falls in that category. I'm not sure he'd be as receptive if he was at the tail end of an unimpressive middle management career, being challenged by some younger employees.