Buzz Words About the Office

I've been working towards earning my MBA the past few years and I'm getting very close to the end and I must say that I'm disappointed that the one class that I've been looking forward to since I began taking courses is not being offered nor does it seem to be part of the curriculum so again I'm at a loss as to how I'm to gain this wonderful insight into 'high level' office life. I'm not talking about IT management or cost accounting or even human resources management. I'm talking about learning all the latest and greatest buzz words that are used and bandied about like kids with the latest video games.

Perhaps one gets a sense of the sarcasm that I'm elliciting in this statement but it's true, I can't tell you the number of times I've sat in on meetings and wondered how and why managers choose to use words and expressions that give deeper meaning to something so simple. Yet instead of sounding profound, they sound like cheap attempts at wanting to sound intelligent given that everyone else uses these words and expressions. I'm talking about the whole talk on 'synergy'. What the Hell is synergy? It's usually defined as the congruent usage of the strengths of two or more parties for the greatest benefit. Isn't that what 'teamwork' is supposed to mean? For years now I've been hearing about how synergistic relationships within our teams will help us achieve our goals. How a lack of synergy is holding us back rather than catapulting us forward past the competition. And now it's moving from the offices to the common man. I had a friend breakup with her longtime boyfriend because she felt there was a lack of synergy.

And it doesn't stop there. There are so many buzzwords and 'catchphrases' used out there that one can literally count the number of cliched statements that many managers use during the course of a meeting and run out of fingers and toes before the first break even occurs. Think about it. How many times have you heard managers talk about 'paradigm shifts' or 'thinking outside the box'? I think these are both one and the same term and if it is used the way it should be used, then it's fine. I mean that if you simply say 'we need to change our way of thinking and think a little outside the box' then it's fine. But when you have managers and team leads who think they are speaking sagely when they make mention of a 'paradigm shift', to me they come off sounding more like a pompous ass than an intelligent leader.

Now don't take this to mean that I think that everyone who uses such terms in their presentations (whether correctly or incorrectly is beside the point) are pompous, but some make it a point to use it in a manner that makes you think they feel that it is a new phrase or expression or way of thinking that they are bringing to the table. Usually that's not the case. Still, at least words like that are actual words. What about words in the office that don't even exist? Whoever invented the word 'ginormous' and brought it into common usage is a fool. English may not be the most complex language in existance but there are more than enough words to get a point across without resorting to made-up words.

Another is the word 'irregardless'. There is mass debate over whether this word is an actual word or not and though it is in the dictionary, most people use it incorrectly. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard someone use the word to counter the meaning. My understanding is that the word means with regard because the prefix 'ir-' means without and 'regardless' means without regard so by the transitive property shouldn't 'irregardless' mean with regard since the two combined parts means without without regard therefore with regard? People tend to use it when the simpler 'regardless' would work just fine. Again it's an attempt to use big words to portray an image of knowledge and wisdom. To me is just stinks of showing more than there actually is.