Mastering the entire linguistic spectrum of corporate jargon is a rite of passage for anyone who hopes to last in the field, but if you fail to do so, don’t feel too bad. A new report suggests that employees who are receptive to corporate buzzwords or “corporate BS” struggle with decision-making and analytical thinking. While this connection might seem like an attempt at satire to some and obvious to many, Shane Littrell, researcher at Cornell University, recently published his initial findings in the Personality and Individual Differences journal on the increasing use of corporate speak and why its usage might bring hollow rewards to the workplace.
The paper clarified that some degree of technical corporate jargon about industry-specific content could be useful in the workplace. The problems arise when corporate BS that communicates very little begins to enter and influence communication standards at work.
Corporate buzzwords or just “corporate BS?” New research links excessive corporate speak with a negative impact on employee decision-making. (Image: Pexels)
The Rise of Corporate Buzzwords and Their Impact on Decision-Making: Why Corporate Speak Should Be a Thing of the Past
Every once in a while, a new study passes our desks, leaving us hotly debating workplace concepts that deserve greater attention. Such is Littrell’s study on “corporate BS,” which he defines as “a semantically empty and often confusing style of communication in organizational contexts that leverages abstruse corporate buzzwords and jargon in a functionally misleading way.”
If you have worked in the corporate space in any capacity, you’ve likely heard many non-technical, unessential terms repeated and reused with gusto, offering up an array of unnecessarily convoluted phrases that obscure the heart of the message. These buzzwords say very little, despite their elaborate form. Now, with the study by Shane Littrell, there is more reason than ever to put a stop to empty communication at work.
Designing the Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale (CBSR) to assess how susceptible individuals are to corporate jargon and thus study their individual and business-centric impacts, the researcher took a closer look at the state of communication in the corporate workplace. He suggested that, while these corporate buzzwords can be harmless sometimes, they can also disrupt the organization and the effectiveness of the employees subjected to such language. He also found that higher receptivity to corporate jargon could be linked to lower analytic thinking and fluid intelligence.
What Did the Study Actually Find About Corporate BS and Analytic Thinking?
Research on corporate buzzwords and their connection to decision-making revealed that workers who were more susceptible to corporate rhetoric rated their supervisors as more charismatic and a “visionary,” but their scores in areas such as analytic thinking, cognitive reflection, and fluid intelligence were found to be lower. Those who were more receptive to this “corporate BS” also performed more poorly on tests of effective workplace decision-making. This decline in individual thinking and capability is not unlikely to be immediately apparent in any workplace, but it could have an impact on their performance and results.
Littrell’s detailed study also found that workers who were prone to viewing these buzzwords positively could display greater job satisfaction and connection with the company’s mission statements. Some employers might see this as a good thing. After all, it creates employees willing to profess their loyalty to the business and don’t try to apply themselves too far beyond what is expected of them. But this loss of individuality and hollow commitment isn’t ideal for an organization that wants to create a deeper impact with its products.
Being charmed by unessential corporate jargon also made it more likely for these employees to use and spread such language, setting off a cycle of new hires learning and churning out the same to fit in.
Is the Overuse of Corporate Buzzwords Really That Bad for the Workplace?
Organizations appear to be operating just fine, despite the overwhelming amount of corporate speak that is currently in use. So is the prospect of some exaggerated lingo really that bad for the workplace? It certainly appears so! The Corporate BS Receptivity Scale doesn’t necessarily point out overused phrases like “circling back,” “identifying the pain point,” or “moving the needle on a project.” These phrases, despite their excessive usage, still manage to communicate a point when followed up with an actual strategy or plan of action.
The problem arises when the corporate BS evolves into chunks of text that sound flowery and ambitious, but communicate very little about the idea or strategy. As the paper suggests, saying “synergizing cross-collateralization” definitely requires brainpower to decipher and implies that it offers similarly intense results, but they communicate nothing to the listener. These empty words result in a very inauthentic form of communication that achieves little in practice and kills any opportunity for healthy discussion of the business’ needs.
With these corporate buzzwords impairing decision-making and analytical thinking, employees might walk away dazed and vaguely impressed. Still, they are then left with nothing concrete to work towards in the following days. Particularly with the rise of layoffs today, coining terms to distract from the unpleasant announcement may seem easier than having an honest conversation, but this stunted communication is hardly good for business. While overly complicated concepts and ideas may be a very corporate-themed approach, for better workplace results, improved communication is key.
Do you agree with the link made between corporate buzzwords and its impact on decision-making and analytical thinking? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more deep dives on the complexities of the modern-day workplace and how you might best unravel them.
