Haven't been able to follow this thread for a couple of days, but reading through just now triggers some comments.

Liam, I haven't set out to slam any individuals in the corporate world, although I have met some who need to be slammed. I've also met some fine people who rose into senior positions, some who were too human and people oriented and didn't survive, and others who were caring and well-liked, and are still around because they are able to be humane and yet still meet the corporation's needs.

Barbara, I agree, there are things which I also can't say to co-workers at this stage.

Peter, I like your analysis, and description, of the failed experiments with employees personalities and emotions (although you didn't use those exact words).. I was rising in the corporation some years ago, and was sent on a particular course which, I came to realize a short time later, had the same structure and format as did an extremely manipulative religious retreat my wife and I went on. It wasn't designed to teach, it was designed to manipulate feelings and emotions and personalities.
A few years after that I was a computer operations manager, and found that it was too muckh an intrusion into my personal life, so I asked to be taken out of management and put in another line, technical, or project work, or whatever. The manager two levels above me referred to me as a 'quitter' and put pressure on me to resign. My salary was essentially frozen for about 4 years before I proved that I could be of value to the company in other ways.

My problem with corporations is twofold, one is that they are probably the least democratic institutions in the world, with plans being formulated at the highest levels and forced downward, while the "teams" at the bottom have to come up with ways to help achieve these goals.

The other is the fact that by their very nature, humanity takes a back seat to profit. In fact, one of our current measurement criteria lies in how well we contribute to 'maximizing shareholder value'..

Thank you all for your intelligent, thought-provoking and insightful comments on this thread.

Davey...(:>)