Job Titles (Part Two)
Recently, I wrote a post pondering the importance of job titles. Some of the best and brightest including Pseudo HR and Your HR Guy weighed in on this one, so you should be sure to check out all of the comments. Great conversation!
And then, just when I was convinced that job titles are completely unnecessary, the Hoover’s blog published a post saying everyone should have only one title. It’s a thought provoking read…
But this week it occurred to me that job titles really serve a purpose similar to the Dewey Decimal Classification System (aka the Dewey Decimal System or DDC). For those of you who might not be familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, it’s the numerical structure that organizes books on library shelves.
Job titles act as placeholders for work in our companies. Just like the DDC is a placeholder for a book in a library.
Now, take it one step further. The Dewey Decimal number doesn’t reflect the quality of book. And, a person’s job title doesn’t reflect the quality of their performance. Job titles only tell us the place that person fills in the organization.
Now you might be saying, “Hold on there, Bartender – my job title broadcasts my level of expertise.” Which in some cases could be true. But, I wouldn’t wholeheartedly agree that all job titles are confirmations of accomplishments. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who could name an inexperienced and incompetent vice president to prove the point.
However, there’s something to be said about titles giving out an expectation of competence. If we continue with a book analogy, does a worn and tattered book cover reflect its popularity? Or is it possible the poor beat-up old book was just used as a door stop? Which is why I can’t help but think titles are only labels. And any expectation attached to them is a function of an individual’s perception of workplace norms.
Titles alone tell us nothing about the person holding it. It’s not until you get to know someone that you can decide if they are a committed, conscientious, and engaged employee. Much like you can’t decide if you will enjoy the book until you open it and start reading.
The bottom line is, a title alone doesn’t result in any respective level of performance nor is it indicative of what can be expected of an individual. So, whether we each have some fancy title or we all share the same, the fact is…actions speak louder than job titles.
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