After completing my doctoral thesis, I worked in industry for nearly 15 years before returning to Academia. I taught as a lecturer while I was doing graduate work, but this entailed teaching and grading courses, with none of the "overhead."
In 2003 I returned to academia full-time, and obtained my tenure earlier this year. Over the past five years I have worked with my colleagues, tenured and non-tenured faculty and staff. One of my colleagues is fond of saying that Academia could provide many case studies of how not to do things. I have been amazed at the sheer waste, of time and talent, in the holy grounds. Some of my observations follow. While the specifics are related to my particular institution, the general concepts, based on my conversations with colleagues in other schools, are fairly widespread.
- Folks having meetings without an agenda or a purpose. This is perhaps the most criminal act, resulting in a waste of time, that scarce resource.
- People attending meetings when they don't add any value, or have nothing of substance to add. This behavior is also prevalent in companies, where some managers try to appear busy by getting involved in many meetings.
- One too many committees. We actually have a Committee on Committees to staff the Committees. What a C(R)OC!
- Faculty they are legends, but in reality, they are legends in their own minds.
- Faculty are so used to "lecturing" that they can't turn it off, and ramble on and on in meetings, again wasting everyone's time.
- Faculty expect students to be "open" but do not want to share any data themselves.
- Faculty do not communicate well- some don't return phone calls or emails, and some are never around.
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