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Re: Academic Research in TechComm (Was RE: Criticizing Writers - What Would You Have Done?)

Subject: Re: Academic Research in TechComm (Was RE: Criticizing Writers - What Would You Have Done?)
From: Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 19:34:06 -0500




Beth Agnew wrote:

There's always someone working on something, but I'm not aware of anything
currently that proves our value. It would definitely be worthwhile pursuing.


I'm gonna be a contrarian here (so what else is new). I don't think proving our value is the underlying issue. I don't think the general perception of tech writers as ISTJs is the underlying issue, either.

I think senior executives know that tech writers add value, just as they know that janitors add value. But that doesn't really have anything to do with advancing through the corporate hierarchy (assuming that's someone's goal). Only rarely, it seems, is product quality (including doc quality) seen as the driving force behind growth and profits. In fact, the worse the product is intrinsically, the more miraculous the success of the sales force looks. And it is the ability to add dollars to the bottom line by selling a lousy product to a resistant customer that helps people glide into the executive suite.

For myself, I'm satisfied to make the world an incrementally better place every day, and I'm not jealous of those who want to claw their way to the top. But I think "proving our value" is a waste of time, because it isn't going to affect job security or advancement one way or another.

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References:
Academic Research in TechComm (Was RE: Criticizing Writers - What Would You Have Done?): From: Beth Agnew

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