Business | Bartleby

The upside of workplace jargon

Acronyms and slang can help build cultures and improve efficiency

Two chat bubbles on a flag
Image: Paul Blow

An idea to run up the flagpole: jargon gets an overly bad press. Not the kind of jargon that involves using the words “flagpole” and “run up”, but the kind that binds teams together. The kind that is exemplified by the term “nub”. In the very unlikely event that you find yourself on board a submarine but are not a member of the crew, you will be a nub.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “In praise of jargon”

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