Oh My, I Hate My Job

Think about this quote within the context of your job.  It’s from the book, American Cultural Patterns by Edward Stewart and Milton Bennet…

Culture guides us in what to consider “figure.”  Micronesians, for example, are far more likely than Americans to see wave patterns — interactions of tide and current on the ocean surface that are used for navigation.  To a typical American, the ocean is just “ground,” and only boats or other objects are “figure.”  But this same American may single out an automobile sound as indicating imminent mechanical failure, while to the Micronesian it is simply part of the background noise.  In general, culture engenders in us the tendency to perceive phenomena that are relevant to both physical and social survival. (emphasis mine)

What’s figure and what’s ground at work?

Figure – what stands out, what’s noticed, what’s important, what has the most meaning.

Ground – what’s in the background, what’s supporting, what’s normal, what’s not necessary, what’s not that important, what you need pay no mind towards.

Here’s where things get interesting.

• A particular task has different things as figure and ground.
• Different departments have different things as figure and ground.
• Different roles and titles tend to have different things as figure and ground.  What management considers figure labor relegate it (not deliberately) as ground.
• Different seasons may have different things as figure and ground.

Where’s the stress?

When one person thinks something is figure and the other sees it as ground…and by seeing something as ground means that they don’t really see it.

The stress often comes from the frustration of the other missing something OBVIOUS.  What you consider a figure stands out, it’s in the forefront.  Someone not noticing it, not seeing it as important would be like someone not noticing the actor front and center in the middle of a monologue.  It seems obvious.  And so we become angry because the person is either being as thick as a granite counter top or they are intentionally trying to mess with you for their own nefarious ends.

And yet, how often is that not necessarily the case?

So, if your boss seems to think you’re mentally challenged maybe you need to investigate the differences in figure and ground between the two of you.  And if you think you’re boss is a half-wit, check and see if what you see as figure is different than what they do.

Whether it makes sense or not, you’ll at least know where they’re coming from, where they’re going, and what the heck they mean…at least a little better.