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Dangerous jargon
Council leaders have banned some 200 examples of the worst management jargon. But there are signs they’ve fallen into the lazy-writing trap themselves.
A press release from the Local Government Association published today says that words such as ‘slippage’ (meaning delay), ‘benchmark’ (measure) and ‘procure’ (buy) are all out. So are management clichés like ‘thinking outside the box’.
Many of the old favourites, like ‘blue-sky thinking’, ‘paradigm’ and ‘synergy’ are on the banned list. But so are some real howlers that we’ve never heard of, such as ‘predictors of beaconicity’ (eh?).
We’ve long argued that such terms and phrases are a barrier to clear communication (see here, here and here). They’re also a sign of lazy thinking. Using words like ‘functionality’ and ‘rebaselining’ (yes, really) are a sure sign that the author isn’t taking time to consider what they really want to say (let alone thinking about the poor reader).
Words and phrases like these are also a great hiding place for someone who doesn’t want to say anything that might rock the boat, as we reported here last week.
But there are some signs of laziness among the LGA themselves. Take a look at the list below and you might wonder about the suitability of some of the alternatives they offer. ‘Money’ is not really a substitute for ‘funding streams’ for example (the latter being much more specific).
Simply implying that ‘cascading’ is redundant without giving an alternative suggests the list was compiled by a public-relations hack with no understanding of management. And erroneously suggesting adjectives like ‘healthy’ as direct alternatives for nouns like ‘wellbeing’ may give serial offenders an excuse to dismiss the list as badly thought out.
Don’t get me wrong. I hate the way many managers stuff their reports full of meaningless pap. Indeed, we spend our working lives weaning them off their thesaurus dependency. But jargon isn’t always the bogeyman.
Good writing is about a lot more than simply avoiding jargon. Although using the LGA’s list, with a few exceptions, is a good start.
The LGA’s list of 200 words and their ‘alternatives’ Across-the-piece – everyone working together Actioned – do Advocate – support Agencies – groups Ambassador – leader Area based – in an area Area focused – concentrating on the area Autonomous – independent Baseline – starting point Beacon – leading light Benchmarking – measuring Best Practice – best way Blue sky thinking – thinking up ideas Bottom-Up – listening to people CAAs – why use at all? Can do culture – get the job done Capabilities – Capacity – ability Capacity building – enough room in the system Cascading – why use at all? Cautiously welcome – devil in the detail Challenge – problem Champion – best Citizen empowerment – people power Client – person Cohesive communities – why use at all? Cohesiveness – together Collaboration – working together Commissioning – buy Community engagement – getting people involved Compact – why use at all? Conditionality - why use at all? Consensual – everyone agrees Contestability – Why use at all? Contextual – background Core developments – main things that are happening Core Message – main point Core principles – beliefs Core Value – belief Coterminosity – all singing from the same hymn sheet Coterminous – all singing from the same hymn sheet Cross-cutting – everyone working together Cross-fertilisation – spreading ideas Customer – people/person Democratic legitimacy – voted in Democratic mandate – elected to put people first Dialogue – talk/discuss Direction of travel – way forward Distorts spending priorities – ignores people’s needs Double devolution – Why use at all? Downstream – Why use at all? Early Win – success Edge-fit – Why use at all? Embedded – set in Empowerment – people power Enabler – helps Engagement – working with people Engaging users – getting people involved Enhance – improve Evidence Base – research shows Exemplar – example External challenge – outside pressures Facilitate – help Fast-Track – speed up Flex – Why use at all? Flexibilities and Freedoms – more power to do the right thing Framework – guide Fulcrum – pivot Functionality – use Funding Streams – money Gateway review – Why use at all? Going forward – in the future Good Practice – best way Governance – Why use at all? Guidelines – guide Holistic – taken in the round Holistic governance – Why use at all? Horizon scanning – Why use at all? Improvement levers – using the tools to get the job done Incentivising – incentive Income Streams – money/cash Indicators – measurements Initiative – idea Innovative capacity – Why use at all? Inspectorates – monitoring bodies Interdepartmental – working together Interface – talking to each other Iteration – version Joined up – working together Joint working – working together LAAs – Why use at all? Level playing field – everyone equal Lever – Why use at all? Leverage – influence Localities – places/town/city/village Lowlights – worst bits MAAs – Why use at all? Mainstreaming – Why use at all? Management capacity – Why use at all? Meaningful consultation– talking to people Meaningful dialogue – talking to people Mechanisms – methods Menu of Options – choices Multi-agency – many groups Multidisciplinary – many Municipalities – towns/cities/areas Network model – Why use at all? Normalising – make normal Outcomes – results Outcomes – focused Output – results Outsourced – privatised Overarching – Why use at all? Paradigm – Why use at all? Parameter – limits Participatory – joining in Partnership working – working together Partnerships – working together Pathfinder – Why use at all? Peer challenge – Why use at all? Performance Network – Why use at all? Place shaping – creating places where people can thrive Pooled budgets – money Pooled resources – time and money Pooled risk – Why use at all? Populace – people Potentialities – chances Practitioners – experts Predictors of Beaconicity – Why use at all? Preventative services – protecting the most vulnerable Prioritization – most important Priority – most important Proactive – Why use at all? Process driven – shouldn’t everything be people driven? Procure – buy Procurement – buying Promulgate – spread Proportionality – in proportion Protocol – guidance Provider vehicles – Why use at all? Quantum – Why use at all? Quick Hit – success Quick Win – success Rationalisation – cut Rebaselining – Why use at all? Reconfigured – reform Resource allocation – money going to the right place Revenue Streams – money Risk based – safest way Robust – tough Scaled-back – cut/reduce Scoping – work out Sector wise – Why use at all? Seedbed – idea Self-aggrandizement – Why use at all? Service users – people Shared priority – all working together Shell developments – Why use at all? Signpost – point in the direction of Single conversations – talking to Single Point of Contact – everything under one roof Situational – situation Slippage – delay Social contracts – deal Social exclusion – poverty Spatial – Why use at all? Stakeholder – other organisations Step Change – improve Strategic – planned Strategic priorities – planned Streamlined – efficient Sub-regional – work between councils Subsidiarity – Why use at all? Sustainable – long term Sustainable communities – environmentally friendly Symposium – meeting Synergies – what use at all? Systematics – Why use at all? Taxonomy – Why use at all? Tested for Soundness – what works Thematic – theme Thinking outside of the box – Why use at all? Third sector – charities and voluntary organisations Toolkit – guidance Top-Down – ignores people Trajectory – route Tranche – slice Transactional – Why use at all? Transformational – change Transparency – clear Upstream – Why use at all? Upward trend – getting better Utilise – use Value-added – extra Vision – ideal/dream/belief Visionary – ideal/dream/belief Welcome – necessary and needed/step in the right direction Wellbeing – healthy Worklessness – unemployed
The LGA’s list of 200 words and their ‘alternatives’
Across-the-piece – everyone working together Actioned – do Advocate – support Agencies – groups Ambassador – leader Area based – in an area Area focused – concentrating on the area Autonomous – independent Baseline – starting point Beacon – leading light Benchmarking – measuring Best Practice – best way Blue sky thinking – thinking up ideas Bottom-Up – listening to people CAAs – why use at all? Can do culture – get the job done Capabilities – Capacity – ability Capacity building – enough room in the system Cascading – why use at all? Cautiously welcome – devil in the detail Challenge – problem Champion – best Citizen empowerment – people power Client – person Cohesive communities – why use at all? Cohesiveness – together Collaboration – working together Commissioning – buy Community engagement – getting people involved Compact – why use at all? Conditionality - why use at all? Consensual – everyone agrees Contestability – Why use at all? Contextual – background Core developments – main things that are happening Core Message – main point Core principles – beliefs Core Value – belief Coterminosity – all singing from the same hymn sheet Coterminous – all singing from the same hymn sheet Cross-cutting – everyone working together Cross-fertilisation – spreading ideas Customer – people/person Democratic legitimacy – voted in Democratic mandate – elected to put people first Dialogue – talk/discuss Direction of travel – way forward Distorts spending priorities – ignores people’s needs Double devolution – Why use at all? Downstream – Why use at all? Early Win – success Edge-fit – Why use at all? Embedded – set in Empowerment – people power Enabler – helps Engagement – working with people Engaging users – getting people involved Enhance – improve Evidence Base – research shows Exemplar – example External challenge – outside pressures Facilitate – help Fast-Track – speed up Flex – Why use at all? Flexibilities and Freedoms – more power to do the right thing Framework – guide Fulcrum – pivot Functionality – use Funding Streams – money Gateway review – Why use at all? Going forward – in the future Good Practice – best way Governance – Why use at all? Guidelines – guide Holistic – taken in the round Holistic governance – Why use at all? Horizon scanning – Why use at all? Improvement levers – using the tools to get the job done Incentivising – incentive Income Streams – money/cash Indicators – measurements Initiative – idea Innovative capacity – Why use at all? Inspectorates – monitoring bodies Interdepartmental – working together Interface – talking to each other Iteration – version Joined up – working together Joint working – working together LAAs – Why use at all? Level playing field – everyone equal Lever – Why use at all? Leverage – influence Localities – places/town/city/village Lowlights – worst bits MAAs – Why use at all? Mainstreaming – Why use at all? Management capacity – Why use at all? Meaningful consultation– talking to people Meaningful dialogue – talking to people Mechanisms – methods Menu of Options – choices Multi-agency – many groups Multidisciplinary – many Municipalities – towns/cities/areas Network model – Why use at all? Normalising – make normal Outcomes – results Outcomes – focused Output – results Outsourced – privatised Overarching – Why use at all? Paradigm – Why use at all? Parameter – limits Participatory – joining in Partnership working – working together Partnerships – working together Pathfinder – Why use at all? Peer challenge – Why use at all? Performance Network – Why use at all? Place shaping – creating places where people can thrive Pooled budgets – money Pooled resources – time and money Pooled risk – Why use at all? Populace – people Potentialities – chances Practitioners – experts Predictors of Beaconicity – Why use at all? Preventative services – protecting the most vulnerable Prioritization – most important Priority – most important Proactive – Why use at all? Process driven – shouldn’t everything be people driven? Procure – buy Procurement – buying Promulgate – spread Proportionality – in proportion Protocol – guidance Provider vehicles – Why use at all? Quantum – Why use at all? Quick Hit – success Quick Win – success Rationalisation – cut Rebaselining – Why use at all? Reconfigured – reform Resource allocation – money going to the right place Revenue Streams – money Risk based – safest way Robust – tough Scaled-back – cut/reduce Scoping – work out Sector wise – Why use at all? Seedbed – idea Self-aggrandizement – Why use at all? Service users – people Shared priority – all working together Shell developments – Why use at all? Signpost – point in the direction of Single conversations – talking to Single Point of Contact – everything under one roof Situational – situation Slippage – delay Social contracts – deal Social exclusion – poverty Spatial – Why use at all? Stakeholder – other organisations Step Change – improve Strategic – planned Strategic priorities – planned Streamlined – efficient Sub-regional – work between councils Subsidiarity – Why use at all? Sustainable – long term Sustainable communities – environmentally friendly Symposium – meeting Synergies – what use at all? Systematics – Why use at all? Taxonomy – Why use at all? Tested for Soundness – what works Thematic – theme Thinking outside of the box – Why use at all? Third sector – charities and voluntary organisations Toolkit – guidance Top-Down – ignores people Trajectory – route Tranche – slice Transactional – Why use at all? Transformational – change Transparency – clear Upstream – Why use at all? Upward trend – getting better Utilise – use Value-added – extra Vision – ideal/dream/belief Visionary – ideal/dream/belief Welcome – necessary and needed/step in the right direction Wellbeing – healthy Worklessness – unemployed