[hinkley]

> Another employee or their manager teaches them it's a normal situation at this company

I have one particularly memorable situation where I tried to coach someone out of this. Sometimes the New Guy is the only one who can change something at BigCo, and the moment you convince them that fighting the bureaucracy is too hard, you've lost one of the few assets that person has.

As the processes get more complex, the time between onboarding and being able to tackle projects as an IC grows and grows. That outsider perspective may be one of the few things they're good for. That outsider perspective may be the only thing that ever reduces that gap.

I can't help but feel like people caught in that uncanny valley are damaged by being there, and one of the only ways I often have to improve morale is to point out how they're doing things - important things - that the Curse of Knowledge keeps me or my peers from doing well.

[thewebcount]

Oh man, this is so irritating. I've been pushing for changes for years, and told, "No, it can't be done!" Then the New Guy comes in, recommends the same damn thing, and suddenly management is like, "Hey! That's a good idea!" I mean, I'll take the win since the change finally happens, but what a great way to demotivate your existing staff.

[hinkley]

Near as I can tell, this has to do with how many different people a problem has been reported by. Either strict numbers or turns of phrase finally changes the mind of the holdouts.

I started sending people to ask the person who has been vetoing the change about why we can’t have nice things. Sometimes it works.