An Opinion on Unjustifiably Ill-fated Words and Twisted Connotations Uses in Management and Workplace Organization

Common words used in management activities are often misinterpreted or gained twisted connotations over the years of possible misuse. Our analysis of standard management terms frequently involved in interpersonal communication indicated that they are used incorrectly, with an assumed sense that departed from the original meaning. They are also perceived and interpreted in discussions with a twisted angle, which frequently leads to miscommunications with downstream effects on projects execution and timelines. Other times, these terms are outright avoided because of their unjustly acquired fame of being wrongly interpreted, motivating us to review their original meaning and how they should be used and perceived. Even grandfathered terms are at some point due for an analysis that can lead to re-establishing their original, intended sense, to bringing them back from obscurity to common use or to indicating that they are indeed appropriate to being used in certain contexts. We provide herein a different perspective on "reading between the lines" and we also explore alternative meanings beyond the immediate sense of words that sometimes might be incorrectly used in managerial activities. The purpose of this manuscript is to rehabilitate the original sense of these common terms and thus to guide the users to their true meaning that would minimize miscommunication issues and misinterpretations. The ultimate goal of this review commentary paper is to offer meaningful management perspectives of the twisted and ill-fated words connotation.