In recent years, popular business authors have encouraged us to think of ourselves and the workplace as symphony orchestras, schools of sharks, anthills, herded cats, jazz bands, diamonds, atoms and astronauts.
Now, a new book suggests a further analogy: we're really all a bunch of sandwiches. Specifically, we're pitas - the stuffed, Middle Eastern, flat bread sandwiches that have become popular in a variety of forms.
The Pita Principle: How to Work with and Avoid Becoming a Pain in the Ass aims to help illuminate and improve workplace relationships by using the metaphor of the pita sandwich. Authors Robert Orndorff and Dulin Clark slice and dice their way through a plethora of pitas in the workplace, ranging from personalities that rank as "Crusty Pitas," to those that include "Soggy" and "Sloppy" ones.
There are seven types of pitas, a number that reminded this reader of Snow White's seven dwarfs, particularly one called Dopey. There is also the Combo Pita, who - you guessed it-incorporates the characteristics from several different pita types.
But before feasting on the categories of pitas, the authors insist you need to get to the real "meat" inside The Pita Principle. According to the authors, it is important to know "the distinction between good PITAs and bad PITAs."
PITA is an acronym for two categories of people that the authors present in the book. The first PITA category is the challenging one where the acronym stands for "pain in the ass." This group challenges our patience, arouses our emotions and provides years of frustrating interactions.
For the second category of PITA, the acronym stands for "professionals increasing their awareness." These are the proverbial good guys, "people who are courageous enough to look at themselves in an honest way, who realize that no one is perfect, and who are open to exploring ways to address their interpersonal and communicative deficits."
Primary among these is the importance of self-awareness. Citing Sigmund Freud, M. Scott Peck and Daniel Goleman, among others, the authors attempt to give credibility to their PITA metaphor. They categorize the different types of PITAs to describe a person's interpersonal and psychological effectiveness in the workplace.
"People have to be aware of themselves, their internal states, and their effect on other people in their organization, and actually care about their impact on other people," the authors state. Workers need to be both self-aware and actually care about their behavior to be good PITAs.
It's important to understand the PITAs in your life in order to increase the likelihood of a positive interaction and outcome with that person. In understanding the "personality of the PITA," you can respond based on a reasoned strategy.
The message here is simple: awareness is key to success. PITAs who are "professionals increasing their awareness," admit and acknowledge deficits and recognize they need to be in a constant state of "self-reflection, self-improvement, and receptivity to feedback."
It's interesting to note that while the authors believe their concepts can be applied to anyone in the workforce, the Pita Principle is meant to have particular significance for those about to enter the workforce. Effective communication, interpersonal relations and integrity have equal importance to technical and business skills, according to the authors.
Unfortunately, just when the book begins to get down to business, it tends to stumble. For example, the lists of famous PITAs for each category are trifling. Sandra Oh, as Dr. Christina Yang in the television show Grey's Anatomy, is cited in the list of "Sealed PITAs." Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane in Frasier makes the list of "Famous Overstuffed PITAs." Topic headings like "Appreciate What the Crusty PITA Brings to the Table" become tedious. The section on "The Soggy PITA," including how to redirect your soggy coworker, falls only a fraction short of being as annoying as the "needy whiner" it purports to describe.
The book includes an assessment for determining your "Pita Profile" so that you can determine where you belong on the menu. Besides the seven main PITAs, the authors also give you the opportunity to determine your ranking on 10 "Honorable Mention PITAs," which include "Moldy," "Cheesy," and "To-go."
The Pita Principle makes valid and compelling points about how caring, empathetic leaders can be the most successful in today's workplace. Unfortunately, it's a sandwich so covered with the condiments of metaphor, that its difficult to get to the substance.