How is Medtronic's culture now? Has it improved?

[Anonymous]

And that's exactly how it goes too. Some good ones leave for other companies, but some just shut up, shut down and collect a paycheck. That's the "Big Blue" way.

Thought I was the only one that thought this way. I left for bigger and better things and am very happy. Great thread but sad comment on culture for such a cool company.

 

[Anonymous]

I disagree with the previous two posts. They are not necessarily accurate. I never look to my management before i form my opinion. It's my job to develop solutions that may be out of the box, refine them, and offer them up. Sometimes they are accepted, sometimes they aren't--that's life.

A better description would comparing be the Red Sox and the Yankees. You can drink beer in the locker room at Fenway and have tats all over you and long, unkempt beards or dreadlocks with the Red Sox. When you get traded to the Yankees they hose you off, cover the tats and give you a haircut and a razor. When you play for the best you need to be a professional.

 

[Anonymous]

Which one is MDT, the Red Sox or the Yankees?

 

[Anonymous]

And that's exactly how it goes too. Some good ones leave for other companies, but some just shut up, shut down and collect a paycheck. That's the "Big Blue" way.

concur, sadly

 

[Anonymous]

the Big Blue/IBM analogy is totally relevant

 

[Anonymous]

MDT needs to do more to reduce the issues created by unstable employees so they don't burden their coworkers.

 

[Anonymous]

Candor works to get things done quicker. If MDT managers need too much coddling, employees with ideas will learn save their breath and their enthusiasm. They'll just be there to collect a paycheck, waiting for a good manager. If one ever appears.

Why do employees complain about management? Don't answer because you only look stupid as if you're drowning in self pity and it never comes out right. Develop the art of managing upward and mature your thinking. Don't blame your manager on your lack of development and not agreeing with all your ideas. Sounds like most of you have a problem with "rejection".....welcome to the world of sales. MDT does a fine job of holding their management team accountable for profit loss or gain and that is how they keep their jobs. You may not agree with their tactics but your opinion matters not but your actions do. Now that I have given you the answer to what motivates your manager, go out and formulate a plan that compliments and adds value to your managers goal and you can become a rock star or you can just shut down and get fired..your choice.

 

[Anonymous]

Why do employees complain about management? Don't answer because you only look stupid as if you're drowning in self pity and it never comes out right. Develop the art of managing upward and mature your thinking. Don't blame your manager on your lack of development and not agreeing with all your ideas. Sounds like most of you have a problem with "rejection".....welcome to the world of sales. MDT does a fine job of holding their management team accountable for profit loss or gain and that is how they keep their jobs. You may not agree with their tactics but your opinion matters not but your actions do. Now that I have given you the answer to what motivates your manager, go out and formulate a plan that compliments and adds value to your managers goal and you can become a rock star or you can just shut down and get fired..your choice.

I'll answer. I think this thread is not about whining because managers do not agree with all of someone's ideas. It's about managers not behaving in accordance with MDT's purported values. Some managers are definitely not even near to understanding how to work effectively with a team, and they very likely cause loss of profit. Employees can go only so far to try to train managers regarding the company's culture, but the rest is really MDT's issue. It's MDT's loss if employees decide to shut down. Wouldn't the company want to improve management to be more profitable? Bill George seemed to think so.

(Not to take away from good managers at MDT.)

 

[Anonymous]

A CEO can say something, and it's a respected management vision. A first-line employee says something similar, and they are "immature" and "lack development." Very interesting.

 

[Anonymous]

A CEO can say something, and it's a respected management vision. A first-line employee says something similar, and they are "immature" and "lack development." Very interesting.

So you claim mimicking the same ideology of senior management is getting you in trouble??? I'm confused...thought we were talking about inability of getting along with management because of differing views not being accepted. Sorry...I still hear whining.

 

[Anonymous]

Why do employees complain about management? Don't answer because you only look stupid as if you're drowning in self pity and it never comes out right. Develop the art of managing upward and mature your thinking. Don't blame your manager on your lack of development and not agreeing with all your ideas. Sounds like most of you have a problem with "rejection".....welcome to the world of sales. MDT does a fine job of holding their management team accountable for profit loss or gain and that is how they keep their jobs. You may not agree with their tactics but your opinion matters not but your actions do. Now that I have given you the answer to what motivates your manager, go out and formulate a plan that compliments and adds value to your managers goal and you can become a rock star or you can just shut down and get fired..your choice.

Key:
managing upward = kissing ass
mature your thinking = hell, fill in the blank, I don't know
lack of development = keep you under my thumb
rejection = a response given when manager is insecure
= opposite of "conversation" or "engagement"
tactic = method of keeping one's job
opinion = moment of candor; an undesireable response
formulate a plan to add value to mgr goal = devise most genuine way to kiss mrg ass
rock star = ass kisser who makes plan
employee = potential ass kisser
you who shuts down and gets fired = one who refuses to kiss ass

 

[Anonymous]

Why do employees complain about management? Don't answer because you only look stupid as if you're drowning in self pity and it never comes out right. Develop the art of managing upward and mature your thinking. Don't blame your manager on your lack of development and not agreeing with all your ideas. Sounds like most of you have a problem with "rejection".....welcome to the world of sales. MDT does a fine job of holding their management team accountable for profit loss or gain and that is how they keep their jobs. You may not agree with their tactics but your opinion matters not but your actions do. Now that I have given you the answer to what motivates your manager, go out and formulate a plan that compliments and adds value to your managers goal and you can become a rock star or you can just shut down and get fired..your choice.

This sounds like something from a Dilbert comic. Tell us, did you go through Management Training at G. E.?

 

[Anonymous]

New Employee: Hi boss! That new employee training I just got was pretty good, especially Core Behaviors and Code of Conduct. I feel like they gave me the main tools to succeed around here. This is a great company. Now, after that training, I couldn't help but notice there’s a problem around here! But I think I know how we can fix it.

BM: You need to work on your delivery. You’re stupid and you need to mature yourself! Take some training.

NE (returns after training): Okay boss, I took the training. I value your diverse feelings; however, I'm very sad to report there’s a problem around here.

BM: I’m sick of hearing about this!! You need to take some training.

NE (returns after training): Okay boss, I took the training. If you act angry again, the training said I should walk away from you. After that, I don’t know what to do, because the training left me hanging. But anyway, the problem I mentioned before is getting worse.

BM (acting a little angry): You didn’t manage upward!

NE: …. Your Royal Highness?

BM (acting really angry): Now you’re being sarcastic! That’s immature and unprofessional! I’m writing you up. You won’t be getting a raise or promotion anytime soon, because you really pissed me off with your lack of development.

NE: (shuts down)

Some time later …
Feds: Knock knock. Oh Hi. There’s a problem around here.

BM: You need to work on your delivery.

Feds: Oh ha ha it doesn’t work that way.

BM: Oh, then … It’s not my fault?

Feds: (Very stern look.)

BM: Oh, then …. It was a team effort! I’ll make sure my whole team gets trained!

NE: This sucks.

BM: You have a negative attitude! You're fired!

 

[Anonymous]

BM = Bad Manager, of course!

 

[Anonymous]

Why do employees complain about management? Don't answer because you only look stupid as if you're drowning in self pity and it never comes out right. Develop the art of managing upward and mature your thinking. Don't blame your manager on your lack of development and not agreeing with all your ideas. Sounds like most of you have a problem with "rejection".....welcome to the world of sales. MDT does a fine job of holding their management team accountable for profit loss or gain and that is how they keep their jobs. You may not agree with their tactics but your opinion matters not but your actions do. Now that I have given you the answer to what motivates your manager, go out and formulate a plan that compliments and adds value to your managers goal and you can become a rock star or you can just shut down and get fired..your choice.

Sometimes I wonder if people really are who they say who they are on Cafepharma, but there's no question this is a MDT manager in his natural habitat. Note the wordiness of his response. His greatest line is "welcome to the world of sales." Classic, this specimen, like many others, believes he still sells something, and it is this drivel he vomited upon his computer screen. Only thing is, nobody's buying, especially bs like "adds value to your managers goal." These are the first to go when RIFs hit mid-management, and he can beg recruiters to convince Glaxo or some lab company that it was HE who put those numbers on the board. Good luck "rock star!"

 

[Anonymous]

Why do employees complain about management? Don't answer because you only look stupid as if you're drowning in self pity and it never comes out right. Develop the art of managing upward and mature your thinking. Don't blame your manager on your lack of development and not agreeing with all your ideas. Sounds like most of you have a problem with "rejection".....welcome to the world of sales. MDT does a fine job of holding their management team accountable for profit loss or gain and that is how they keep their jobs. You may not agree with their tactics but your opinion matters not but your actions do. Now that I have given you the answer to what motivates your manager, go out and formulate a plan that compliments and adds value to your managers goal and you can become a rock star or you can just shut down and get fired..your choice.

You must be the manager that, for instance,

- Decided to by Transneuronix
- Tested Fidelis to spec instead of testing to failure
- Bought Physio-Control
- Bought Kyphon
- Gave away 40% of the Neuro market by ignoring new product development
- Ignored quad pole CRT pacing


While its true that many of the Yes Men that followed the lead on these stupid decision are now promoted, Medtronic is now truly vulnerable to major revenue loss on a level not seen since the early eighties.


Stupid people follow stupid decisions. Smart people fight for a while, sometimes reverse stupid decision, but, if ignored, ultimately leave.

Some of them leave and start new companies ---- the old CPI is a great example.

 

[Anonymous]

You must be the manager that, for instance,

- Decided to by Transneuronix
- Tested Fidelis to spec instead of testing to failure
- Bought Physio-Control
- Bought Kyphon
- Gave away 40% of the Neuro market by ignoring new product development
- Ignored quad pole CRT pacing


While its true that many of the Yes Men that followed the lead on these stupid decision are now promoted, Medtronic is now truly vulnerable to major revenue loss on a level not seen since the early eighties.


Stupid people follow stupid decisions. Smart people fight for a while, sometimes reverse stupid decision, but, if ignored, ultimately leave.

Some of them leave and start new companies ---- the old CPI is a great example.

This is awesome, but you are wrong on the simple fact that the peon that you quoted wouldn't be allowed to decide anything other than where his team's meetings would be held. Rather, he defended and still defends each abortion you mention above. His response to everything is "you don't know the whole story of _________ (fill in the blank)." He doesn't either, but they taught him to say that and other meaningless manager jib jab.

 

[Anonymous]

"you don't know the whole story of _________ (fill in the blank)."

Wow, I actually heard that line several times.

The last time was when they bought Cleveland based NDI Medical for $42 million and then literally put the (not great) technology on the shelf. Picture the end of Indiana Jones, putting the Ark of the Covenant in the warehouse.

. . . well, you don't know the story of how this technology benefits the future . . .

 

[Anonymous]

This is awesome, but you are wrong on the simple fact that the peon that you quoted wouldn't be allowed to decide anything other than where his team's meetings would be held. Rather, he defended and still defends each abortion you mention above. His response to everything is "you don't know the whole story of _________ (fill in the blank)." He doesn't either, but they taught him to say that and other meaningless manager jib jab.

Suggestion: How about instead of stonewalling an employee with a distracting canned phrase, management provides a relevant "lessons learned" report?

 

[Anonymous]

Why do employees complain about management?

Maybe employees complain about management, because managment IS the company to them. Management sets the tone and is often the role model of behavior, be that good or bad. It doesn't matter what the company's operating principles are on paper if employees don't see them reflected in positive ways in their management. For a theoretical example, if you knew your manager was doing something that both of you knew was wrong, what would you do? You'd be put in a very uncomfortable position that you shouldn't have to deal with, and the company, by providing a poor manager, put you in that position. They might even inappropriately defend their manager against the employee! So good management in the first place is KEY to company success.