The Big Game

They say that life is a game and it appears that this catch phrase has become an integral part of the way business is conducted, much to the detriment of society. Most of us are worker bees of some sort and occupy a given position within the corporate structure. As new employees, we were driven to do the best for the “customer” and excel so as to progress to higher levels of responsibility and reward. Over time, though, that commitment is often replaced by labyrinthine policies and procedures that must be followed if our climb is to continue unabated. And that, folks, is where the game begins.

Most games involve winning and winning is generally defined as mastering a set of skills to a higher degree than any and all competitors. Nothing in there about quality of service, is there? It’s relatively easy to spot the participants in this game: those who are not directly affected by their decisions. You need look no further than the current financial services industry and it’s ongoing meltdown. Salaries (and bonuses) were predicated on the returns of investments, so the players turned to riskier investments in an attempt to attain greater returns. Hell, it wasn’t their money if they bet badly, and, should they bet well, their paychecks would swell. All sense of the real-world, human ramifications is lost in the game. It’s no game, though, when you’re looking at pink slips, down-sizing, outsourcing, foreclosure, or bankruptcy. No, the consequences are real for those in the trenches, but, then again, they’re not as deeply involved with the game as the higher-ups.

The legal game revolves around convictions or acquittals, not justice. The law enforcement game hinges on arrests and closed cases. Once again, justice takes a back seat. And the political game is all about re-election. Any field of endeavor in which the participants are insulated from the negative fallout culminating from their decisions attracts the game players. From the CEO to the lowly clerk, they are all candidates.

Conversely, those that risk their own comfort (physical or financial) are more immune from such chicanery. Bridge builders, architects, and such aren’t as likely to play the game lest their construction fails at the time they are using it. Transportation workers, from cabbies to truck drivers to airline pilots are inexorably connected to the success of their tasks. No game players, there, I’d say. And small business owners succeed or fail as a direct result of their business practices.

Not everyone falls prey to the siren song of the game. Over time, though, the song becomes harder to ignore because that climb up the corporate ladder seems to depend upon one’s willingness to forsake the heady, idealistic goals of the neophyte. But the ladder is a fantasy. It implies that each step, while higher, is of the same width. In fact, it is a corporate pyramid and the steps get steeper and narrower as one approaches the pinnacle. After all, only one person gets to the top spot so why waste unneeded space? It’s an integral part of the game and this part needs every employee to believe in the idea that they, too, are worthy of that hallowed top spot. How else can the game be prolonged? And what else is there to believe in? Oh, right: the customer.

Can the game be stopped? I certainly hope so, but the cycle must be challenged at the lowest level for it is here where the rules are learned. The powers-that-be aren’t interested in stopping the game, for the game is the key to their success. And they expect their underlings to perpetuate the game by following in kind. Only when the underlings in question opt for the more honorable path that maintains allegiance to honesty, fairness, and the customer will the game grind to a halt. It won’t be a screeching stop. Rather, a slow, yet steady, deceleration in the degradation of our quality of life. It’s well past time to suspend this game in the interest of a brighter future.