Chief Fun Officer

A few weeks ago I made a reference to the great heights to which human stupidity rises. The human mind is a creative faculty and its potential to create ideas is limitless. That is why consumerism flourishes working havoc on scarce resources and on society, though it is said to promote economic development. Any way we are forced to appreciate the efforts of those who advocate this philosophy of worshipping human stupidity and greed oriented consumerism. Another feather in the cap of those who are champions of this philosophy is the mania for high-sounding designations. These designations are intended to solve problems although the efficacy is doubtful.

The approach behind coining such designations is to create jobs for many and to give consolation prizes probably to some disgruntled elements in the organisation. Let us consider some imaginary or real designations like Director General of Mosquitoes, Director General of Police (Food), Chief General Manager (Canteen), Chief Engineer (Accounts) and a plethora of designations with various permutations and combinations of words with and without meanings.

The authors of these designations have their own logic justifiable from the point of avoiding conflicts and grievances in the organisations and to appease some persons who live by such designations. What is funny about most of these designations is that those holding them have very little difference in functions and responsibilities from what they were discharging earlier. They are solely ornamental. In fact in friendly parlance such officials earn the title of ornamental idiots. Of course privileges accompany such designations. Emoluments also rise. But responsibility is often doubtful and at times nil.

The mania spreads its tentacles far and wide with the birth of BPOs all over the world. Specialists erupt like valcanoes. Each symptom of a problem, without tackling the root cause, is considered a base for a new designation and post. Thus we have or soon we will have Anger Managers, Anger Management Expert, Relationships Manager, Stress Manager etc. Soon this science of designations will have super specialities branching into areas of Domestic Stress Manager, Occupational Stress Manager De -stress Manager, Chief De-stress Manager, Distress Manager and the like.

Daily we are adding to the list of designations with the enrichment of the vocabulary of the English language. We have now a Chief Fun Manager in some organisations and soon we will have a Chief Buffoon, Chief Clown also to complete the circle. Their job is said to remove tension and stress of employees by playing their respective roles with fun and frolic.

When one pauses and thinks for a while, the fertility and futility of such an exercise, one fails to understand the benefits these designations like Distress Manager and the like, yield to the organization and the public.

One is at a loss to understand whether all these perforation and proliferation of designations and jobs are necessary at all. Do they serve any purpose other than creating berths for some individuals who otherwise are not employable? Can we not get the job done more effectively by re-defining the responsibilities and keeping the same designations imparting job enrichment, which will give a meaningful organisation structure? Are we not allowing us to derail and be trapped in a situation where there are only generals and no soldiers?

I don't know how many of you will agree with the views of the author. But one thing is certain. We will have lot of fun if only we have creative men in organizations with a craze for such ideas, which in effect may be mental aberrations or brainwaves of high frequency. They can build up a full-fledged department of officials with a hierarchy with Director General (Fun), and at the national level a Ministry of Fun and Frolic. Any way the writer wishes all such designations and their occupants a prosperous future with a prayer that their tribe may increase and that they may continue to enjoy the fruits of cascading happiness arising from dubious designations and radiate fun and enjoyment for others.