I came across an older post by Alex Papadimoulis on TheDailyWTF.com, dealing with the Dead Sea Effect described by Bruce Webster.

Frankly, it's one of the most interesting and thought-provoking posts I've read regarding employee retention.

The Dead Sea Effect (in I.T.) is the predicted end result of many years of having the best employees leave, without replacing them with people of equal or higher skill levels. What's left? An accumulation of staffers who are less ambitious, less talented, and generally less capable of finding work elsewhere.

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Overheard somewhere, sometime

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER (in a cheerful tone): I'm working on fixing the XYZ disturbance in the flux capacitor module.

MANAGER: You know, you can try {insert obvious technique here} to fix that.

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER (in a calm, pleasant tone of voice): Thanks for the suggestion. I have a question for you, and please don't read too much into this. When you offered that suggestion, was it because you thought I was unaware of that technique or that I've overlooked something?

Have you ever wondered how your boss got their job? Have you ever thought "this guy is so incompetent, he probably doesn't even know it"? How/why does this happen?

Whenever there's an job opening, staff are frequently asked if they know anyone who might be a good fit. This is indeed an excellent way to jump start the hiring process; personal references are frequently much better than "off the street" hires. The obvious caveat is that the inside person doing the recommending has good sense and a good understanding of more than just the skills required. For example, the inside person may be a good person and a good employee but may not understand the corporate culture or their friend well enough to see that it just won't work out: think highly structured vs. very laid-back, for example.

What does this have to do with getting an incompetent boss?

There's no such thing as a perfect company - any enterprise consisting of more than one person is going to have issues (and to be sure, there are single-person enterprises that have major issues).

Frequently, the larger the organization, the more likely one or more of the following is going to be true. Note that there is a difference between an event or incident and an actual pattern. Incidents can sometimes be explained (everyone has bad days); patterns are worth noting.

Here, then, are the top ten patterns that could convince you to pack your bags:

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I hate to break it to you, but I'm your boss. Your complaining and dissatisfaction fall on deaf ears, most of the time. You can be replaced. Keep it up, and you probably will be. Don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger.

No matter how useful or clever you are, or how hard you work, your continued employment is an economic decision: you earn your pay (and more), or you don't. If you don't, you're probably headed for the unemployment office at the next downsizing opportunity.

"It should just work." "All ya gotta do is..."

We've all heard this time and time again. For those of use who have spent much time in Software Development organizations, this battle cry is an anathema to those of us who like to have some proof.

Why does it seem that information gets a fresh coat of varnish as it passes up through the company ranks?

I know I've seen this happen too many times to count. The front-line grunts know that things are bad, that there's no way that the project will be done according to the current schedule (or worse). The conscientious and courageous ones let their managers know, in frank, honest terms, that there are major problems.

(Cartoon courtesy of gapingvoid.com)

This is one of my favorite resources from a few years back. Hugh MacLeod of gapingvoid.com offers his insights into some of the ways the modern organization fails to accommodate the human needs of the people in them. And he talks about ways to retain or regain your creativity and humanity.

They're watching you. All of the time.

Every move you make. Every sentence, every word you utter. Your emails, your instant messages.

Every expression on your face. Every smile. Every frown, every furrowed brow.

Every action you take.

Stack ranking - or curve ranking - where team members are rated against one another - is used at Microsoft and other companies. Basically, it's rare or near impossible to rank all team members at the same high rate, even if all team members have earned it, because the system requires that some are ranked highly, some are ranked as average, and some are ranked as below average.