The difference between a Snafu, a Shitshow and a Clusterfug

Originally circulated on 13 December 2019

Hi fellow Ruminants & Groupies

Best wishes for the festive season and to very busy Ruminant Pink Friday’s ™ in 2020.

I thought that last week would be my last submission for the year but I got such a fantastic submission from one of my more timid colleagues whose identity I will protect.

The reference for today’s submission is https://qz.com/work/1225213/the-difference-between-a-snafu-a-shitshow-and-a-clusterfuck/amp/. As suggested in the article I used the toned down clusterfug suggested by the author for our more sensitive colleagues.

Let’s say hypothetically, of course, that the situation at work is not good. The project (or product, or re-org, or whatever) has launched, and the best you can say is that things aren’t going as planned. At all. It’s a disaster, though the best word for it is the one you drop over drinks with your team and when venting at home: it’s a clusterfug.

“The. The F-Word,  , former Oxford English Dictionary editor Jesse Sheidlower’s comprehensive history of the term, defines a clusterfug as “a bungled or confused undertaking or situation.” Stanford business professor Bob Sutton goes further, describing clusterfugs as “those debacles and disasters caused by a deadly brew of illusion, impatience, and incompetence that afflicts too many decision-makers, especially those in powerful, confident, and prestigious groups”

I hope that this is a worthy submission to finally round off 2019. I hope you all have a wonderful festive season and can provide me with lots of inspiration for the continuation of Ruminant Pink Friday ™ in 2020.

Regards

Bruce