Arts & Culture | Smithsonian.com http://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/Arts-Culture.html en-us 2012 Smithsonian Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:07:55 GMT As American as Doritos, Bud and Chrysler http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/indexed/2012/02/as-american-as-doritos-bud-and-chrysler/ http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/indexed/2012/02/as-american-as-doritos-bud-and-chrysler/ The Super Bowl has always been about more than just the outcome of the game Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:04:12 GMT

(c) Jessica Hagy, 2012

]]> Too Many Bosses in the Boardroom http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/indexed/2012/01/too-many-bosses-in-the-boardroom/ http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/indexed/2012/01/too-many-bosses-in-the-boardroom/ Chewing gum magnate William Wrigley knew whose opinion mattered the most: his own Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:17:08 GMT

Q: How many middle managers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Let me check with my boss.

Making decisions in corporate environments is a human Rube Goldberg devise. Messages get passed up and down the chains (shackles, if we’re being honest with our terminology) of command, an endless game of political telephone. All the while, time, talent, and money is thrown at the many extraneous moving pieces.

I think this is one of the reasons so many people dream of going out on their own: so that they can make a decision all by themselves, without any memos or CCs or scheduled meetings. Sweet freedom is the ability to change your own silly light bulbs.

(c) Jessica Hagy, 2012

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