brilliant jerk

What is Brilliant Jerk?

Definition.

• Business slang for a person who has outstanding expertise and accomplishments and a high level of contribution to the organization, but who is not cooperative and has a negative impact on those around him or her. Often summarized as "an employee who does an outstanding job, but has problems as a person."

Etymology and spread

• From the late 2000s through the 2010s, it became frequently used in Silicon Valley management and human resource theory, most notably in Netflix's "Culture Deck. For us, the cost to effective teamwork is too high. For us, the cost to effective teamwork is too high.

Typical Characteristics

• Highly technical and results-oriented
• Lack of empathy and cooperative attitude
• Critical/aggressive communication
• Leads to low morale and increased turnover in departments and projects

Risks to the organization

• Short-term gains vs. long-term losses: In many cases, the total cost is greater than the individual results, because it reduces the productivity and engagement of the entire team.
• Cultural Pollution: "As long as you get results, you are allowed to do it" sets a false precedent and breaks down the code of conduct for other employees.

• Relation to [psychological safety
• High-pressure and derisive language and behavior
  • Risk of speaking up turned into "fear of being punished".
  • Atrophy of reports, suggestions, and questions
• Blame others for their failures
  • Mistake-sharing has become taboo.
  • Learning Cycle Stoppage and Recurrent Accidents
• Monopolizing the credit and shifting the responsibility
  • Loss of a sense of fairness
  • Collapse of trust and increase in retirements
• Public reprimands and offensive reviews
  • Culture of submission through fear
  • Exhaustion of creativity and autonomy

I see

• So the disadvantages of compromising one's sense of security outweigh the informational advantages of an individual making a toothless statement?

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