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I have often wondered if there is like a secret Stupid Manager Tricks indoctrination session that happens when someone is promoted. Perfectly reasonable people, upon org chart elevation, will suddenly think that they can make FTEs appear for nothing by screaming about multitasking hard enough.

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People respond to incentives in generally predictable ways.

If you are told you will get a substantial raise if your subordinates work harder, guess what, you are going to get your subordinates to work harder.

You're going to try to get your subordinates to work harder.

But previous experience, as a grunt, ought to suggest that -- completely in line with almost all of the established research -- task-switching decreases performance. There's just so much overhead associated with it.

So it is as if elevation has caused someone to forget their experience.

Read the Gervais principle

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