 t's an open secret in the IT world that everybody privately admits but is loathe to admit. Probe HR managers on it and one is greeted with a range of emotions from shuttered expression to evasive replies to barely concealed fury at one's audacity. Techies speak about it in hushed tones but do not want to go on record. Probe, investigate, question and the answers are frustratingly ambigous, "By and large its happening, but hmmn …I couldn't say, I am not certain. Its not happening in my company but I know it is in other companies, I don't know their names… " was an enlightening answer this writer received to what till then seemed an innocuous query on the changing work culture in IT organisations and the disappearing space for dissent.
Classic techno-libertarian philosophy generously spewed by new age companies that those who govern best govern least has blown over with the tech bust. In the heady days of the IT boom. organisations paid a skewed form of homage to the principles of laissez fairre, absurdly genuflecting in front of the new economy heroes, the geeks, and desperately seekingt their approval and endorsement for organisational decisions. Consequently code jockeys pulled the shots with their five-figure salaries, signing bonuses, options, cushy perks -- a complete workstation at home and all-expense-paid holidays. The wealth and lavish lifestyles were however only part manifestation of new age work culture. More importantly, geeks brazenly displayed attitude with a big A on the sleeve, nonconformism and individuality were infectious intellectual iconoclasm was a cool value, as geeks plugged away at their keyboards to meet deadlines. Pro Bronson author of the Nudist in the Late Night Shift commenting on the tremendous energy of the times says, "It is a mad, fertile time. Working has become nothing less than a sport here in Superachieverland: people are motivated by the thrill of the competition and the danger of losing, and every year the rules evolve to make it all happen more quickly, on higher margins, reaching ever more amazing sums."
Companies executives riding on the tremendous energy and endless optimism competed feverishly to innovate on HR practices and introduce employee friendly policies within organisations. An impassioned bucaneering spirit to break new ground unshackled hierarchies and companies preened about egalitarian culture with the techie at its epicentre, evident in recruitment advertisements emphasising organisational culture. Employers and workplaces were adjudged by their ability to respect and tolerate intellectual dissidence. Knowledge workers, knowledge management and knowledge economy were freely bandied to indicate upturning of traditional power structures and the new intellectual freedom. The redefinition of the workspace in favour of the employee also had its downside. It was also a moment of extreme cyberselfisness for techies, who used new found freedom to hold companies to ransom by turning into wisp of thin air at mission critical moments. There were hundreds of other cases. This writer forinstance was entertained with the story of a project manger who walked out on projects because they did not like the "customer's attitude". The company CEO instead of expending his lung power counselled the prodigy on learning to tolerate intellectual inferiors.
The subsequent tech meltdown not only thrashed silicon dreams but also saw a violent reversal in employer attitudes. The first casualty - the downward revision in salary and withdrawal of benefits - was minor when compared to the fatal bruises inflicted on work culture, the very soul of the new economy. The wacky, the eccentric, the exciting, the nonconforming have ceased to be model values to be celebrated. Says Janelle Brown, writer for Salon, "Silicon Valley was a state of mind, a template for how to conduct tech-capitalism, a perpetual fountain of innovation, easy to envy or deplore, but darn hard to ignore." The much-trumpeted freedom, the essence that fuelled the Silicon Valley Revolution has been busted. The new flexibility was quickly traded for greater rigidity, control and hierarchy clawed their way back to centrestage. Techies encouraged to criticise, speak up were sent huddling to their cubicles to await decisions via mail. In the aftermath of the violent backlash, techies are afraid to speak out lest they be termed unwanted rebels in a low economy. Says an engineer working in Wipro, The management may not say so but the bad times are at the back of our minds. We have to measure our words, be extremely careful of what we say." Working in the tech industry is also no longer fun. You could, for instance, be asked to work longer hours, take a pay cut or accept more responsibility without a promotion. Any signs of demurring and one could be shown the door. An engineer working in Sanken admits that he's keeping a low profile. Techies are scared to be seen out of their cubicles in case they are dubbed low performers.
The violent swing from stratospheric pampering to Victorian rigidity in the workplace points to the immaturity of practices in a relatively young industry. From the techies point of view it also places a question mark on the reasons for the techno-liberal culture. Was this a mere device to hold on to people or did its roots go deeper. Sadly the silence, the unwillingness to discuss the issue and the real fear underlying employee responses points to the fact that the industry could be guilty of the former. As companies struggle to stay afloat, material pampering is well nigh impossible but its disappearance has also been accompanied by the demise of intellectual freedom. This has been the real tragedy of Silicon Valley.
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