Program Management
Pros
This is going to sound like grandpa talking about the good ol’ days but I swear I’m being accurate and precise. When I joined Bose in the early 2000’s it was a wonderful place; smart people working hard and working together truly as a team. I sincerely woke up nearly every day excited to get to work. Minimal politics. Decent bonuses. We were breaking new ground in noise reduction. We led the world and kicked proverbial butt at almost every turn. And when things didn’t work out or a mistake was made rarely did the blame game occur. I left for a short stint at another company and like many others, came back to Bose. Then Dr Bose died and the MBAs took over. I. mean that in the mindset sense - I also have an MBA but it doesn’t define my profession life....
Cons
I came back to work in the Bose Ride group, which I thought would be very similar to noise reduction in the early days. The technology reduced whole body vibration for truck drivers such that their health and productivity outcomes were significantly improved. Unfortunately abrasive, a-hole, know-nothings somehow gained sway and destroyed teamwork. I witnessed and received unimaginable abuse. Never before have I been closer to eliminating a human from the earth. HR did nothing about the situation despite many complaints. Sorry, but this never would have happened under Dr Bose. Bose Ride leadership was incredibly weak and incompetent, deciding to listen only to the personalities above due to intimidation. Short term thinking became more prevalent. Admittedly some of this was needed in other parts of the company as the country club atmosphere arguably was too much to keep up with growing competition. In an effort to build sales in Bose Ride, non-sensical pricing and a convoluted “value proposition” confused customers. When the group was eliminated, only the incompetent leaders were kept. Now the company is wallowing in competition with nothing distinctive to offer the market. Competitors are faster, more stylish and more appealing to a large portion of the customer base.
