Unfortunately, the stats about TV viewing are pretty grim… starting with the amount people watch: http://tinyurl.com/ou8st It doesn’t take long to combine this with stats about sex and violence on prime time–including commercials–to get the picture.

Plus, there have been longitudinal studies involving children and teens that indicate that by the time we’re wise enough to turn off Spike and turn on TLC, the damage is done. The causation vs. correlation debate, when it comes to TV, has pretty much been settled. In favor of causation.

As far as management’s job being to “deprogram” people, that would be pretentious indeed, not to mention beyond the abilities of most of them. It would also be a throwback to a regimented form of top-down management that I do not generally espouse.

This post is about understanding the people who work for you as individuals, including the fact that they carry personal baggage with them into their job——whether you think they “should” or not——and recognizing that much of that baggage comes from a familiar source: the boob tube.

As a manager, it IS your job to understand that and accept it, and then account for it in how you approach your team. That’s not hubris… it’s a wise, empathetic, and politically astute way to drive improved results.

First, not everyone watched TV and second, not everyone watches the SAME things on TV.

Correlation or causation? It’s inconclusive, but I lean towards correlation.

Negative, shallow people probably look for shows to confirm their world view and avoid any sort of challenge to their lifestyle.

Other people might like science and history or action and adventure because thats what they are attuned to.

For management to imagine that it is their job to “deprogram” everyone is hubris; If your people “need” you to do that, I submit that either you need new people or your people need new management.