Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the Trauma of Layoffs and Revitalizing Downsized Organizations

5.9. Short-Term Plans and Strategy

Survivors in the professional/technical group, who had experienced the most mergers and organizational change, expressed dissatisfaction with short-term planning. However, the concern was more limited and focused than in the initial study:

• "It's quarter-by-quarter management, and that really hurts. If you are in a declining environment and you manage strictly quarter by quarter, you will never grow." (professional/technical employee)

• "The number one objective for the last several years has been quarterly profit. . . . In order to make that quarterly profit, we've had indirect people have to take time off without pay, whatever it takes to make that quarterly profit. And if that's all you're looking at, one quarter ...