In theory, many U.S. corporations pride themselves on being one big happy family where top executives are called by their first names and the president's door is open to all. But in practice, says Modern Office Procedures magazine in its June issue, the well-run office is no such place. It is an entrenched caste system, extending even beyond the office to the family. In a survey of company attitudes, the magazine concludes that companies are caste-conscious and glad of it.
Company executives, the survey shows, defend the caste system as a source of discipline and respect:...