Originally by: BlankStare

---

I think a part of me died this weekend. It has no clone, no new body to
return in. The part of me that is no more is my faith in CCP. CCP created
more than just a dream, they created a virtual world for us all to live and
share in. In fun, in risk, in loss and in reward. It was more than just a
game. EVE is not just real. It is a life. CCP created life.

But life requires, among other things, faith in its purpose and continuity.
What unites us all behind the pixels, is that we are all human. Some in
business, some in fun, but we all share and live. But the faith required
for that, as it is not real life, is getting lost.

CCP has a limited time in which they can make a choice, whether to
resurrect this faith, and how, before it is lost forever. How can they do
this?

This is how:

1 - Transparent and open reorganization of management practices, Sack those
who are dead weight, keep those with talent get rid of those without.
Everybody understands business culture, but it is a balance. Independent of
dream and friendship. These things are not "too corporate", or mutually
exclusive.

2 - Actively seek and nurture talent where you find it internally. Provide
staff with clear career progression within CCP. No more ad hoc
appointments.Provide a training program for those that want/need it.
Everybody understands the temptations of "positivity" as an instrument of
business. Unfortunately, you are dealing with human beings who are diverse,
and this goes beyond the direct environment of CCP itself. Total pay, beats
positivity hands down.

3 - Stop thinking that you're still 10 guys in an attic, you're not. We
understand where you come from, we love you for it, we respect you for it.
But there is a difference between those days, where you are now, and where
as an enterprise you think you may already be (but are effectively still a
long way from).

4 - Be honest and accountable to yourselves and your customers. It is one
of your company values, transparency. And accountability is not a bad
thing, if people have an open culture, are friends and colleagues and share
the dream. And no, it is not "too corporate", if you just invest constantly
in people, knowledge, instruments, and listen to the backbones of your
company.

5 - You customers are not simply users of a service, they are partners in
it's creation. Make use of that. The CSM is not enough as just an
experiment, move on from that, as it is a business instrument. If you
employees first response to an open letter doing exactly as the CEO wants
to do is ôwe do not negotiate with terroristsö, you have a problem in your
corporate culture. It is as Hilmar stated it, EVE is an emerging dynamic, as creators and host you are as much as a part of that as are you customers. That can be scary
yes, but it is also good. The potential for synergy does not conflict with
this being your game. And yes, some of you have moved on to do things
outside of CCP, but more livelyhoods than yours matter.

6 - Communicate, both externally and internally, more effectively. The
right hand needs to know what the left hand is doing. And yes, that means
horizontally, as well as vertically. In business people connect the dots,
this is what enables people's livelihoods. But this means, that as good
friends people can be, there are best practices for running a business.
Optional and voluntary documentation is one such red flag. But in media as
in forums, we have seen how compromised and stretched your processes are
for speed, density and weight. This cannot continue. And I do not mean just
the public visibility of this, as the consequences of this will be visible
either way.

cont...

---