As most have already stated, the management chain at IBM is deplorable. From execs to senior to middle to junior management, without fail they have ALL been placed there as a level of their incompetency.
Execs are not technical and have no idea what IT does. Most are psychologists, HR types, or from Social systems. Problem employees that can't be dealt with legally are often promoted to some level of management, and given new subordinates to manage. Problem junior/middle managers typically find a director or a VP to cling to, and spend the rest of their lives kissing their butts to keep their jobs. They provide no leadership, no forward thinking, and certainly no one that can be approached for some meaningful insight. These are truly incompetent people, and the company is full of them - upwards of 45% of the world employee pool is management. Management is does not and is not supposed to produce ANYTHING. Except that phone call that you've been laid off or a bad PBC review.
The mood/tone at IBM is just awful, and every day we look for the proberbial email of a 2 week notice. Approaching your first line manager is pointless and often backfires into an RA or a poor PBC rating. Poor PBCs have tripled in the last 2 years, using this tool to eradicate older and other "miscreant" work staff.
Most are fired within 12 months in advance of retirement. IBM only retired several employees last year, all of them were from the management ranks. And yes, everything you hear on the news RE execs robbing the place blind in the $millions is true.
It's an IT company that's BSing it's way through new technologies - and most know it
