[eadmund]

I think that's needlessly cynical, and moreover does not align with my own experience in large and small corporations. I think that most folks in a corporation are trying to do well and do good. What you don't see is that 'politics' are one of the merits the corporate meritocracy is optimising for ­— and that 'politics' is just a single word shorthand for 'dealing with human beings.'

My experience has been that yes, both professors and managers have favourites: they tend to favour those who have positive, unselfish, engaged attitudes. And sure, that is itself selfish: positive, unselfish, engaged people are more pleasant to work with. And I have also found that those who complain the loudest — I include myself in that number, in my lesser moments — are those who are not engaging with the system as it is, rather than the system as they wish it would be.

The real trouble is that in a large enough organisation the system as it is may be so opaque that it really does defy understanding and consequently engagement.

Anyway, rather than assuming bad faith, try assuming good faith. But of course verify it, too!

[arvinsim]

> 'politics' is just a single word shorthand for 'dealing with human beings.'

No wonder why we are so messed up if this is the bar that we set and condone.