When reading “When Work Doesn’t Work as Well as It Could or Should” [Fall, Page 26], I was struck by how redundant much of the material was.
We’ve all heard, or at least should have heard, of “issues” with workplace layouts. Should we have cubicles? Should we have open layouts to inspire creativity/decrease overhead costs?
Regardless of the outcome, this is a tired conversation. If Grinnell wants to inspire its current populace (and disinterested alumni) to do more and better, churning out another tired article that replicates masses of tired articles is not the way to do it.
As for the topics within this article, “Is it time to toss the organizational chart?” and “What to ask before you take that new job,” better advice would be to have a Grinnell graduate to find a job with a company that will appreciate their knowledge and input. My honest advice would be, if you’re working for a company that would fire you for “pushing yourself hard and taking risks,” it sounds like you work for an outdated organization that’s about to fail anyway. Why waste your time and talents on a company that won’t be around long enough to appreciate them?
If you’re going to write about a subject, please invest some time into it. You have a whole breadth of resources from alums who I’m sure can actually share some insight into the markets into which your current students will soon transition.