The Dangers of Being Pretentious in the Workplace

“Pretentious” is one of those words that can make us cringe. It refers to people who are likely to show off their knowledge or status, and it can be especially rampant in the workplace.

As a management issue, being pretentious is problematic because it often manifests as shallow thinking. Pretentious people are more concerned with presenting an image of themselves as competent and knowledgeable than they are with actually solving problems or exploring new ideas. The result is an organization that suffers from shallow and uninspired thinking that stifles innovation and progress.

pre·ten·tious

adjective

attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

Pretentiousness arises within a hierarchical power structure characterized by command and control. This structure is designed to cultivate intense competition and a win-lose mindset among subordinates. The belief is that if I win, everyone else must lose. Moreover, once I emerge victorious, I assume the authority to dictate, falsely equating power with absolute competence. What a ludicrous notion!

Yet, it is a ludicrous fact of life for those of us who work within the confines of that matrix. The manager in the cartoon “Dilbert” is…