260 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL 



overlooks is that the applicant has failed to meet him on his own ground; 

 has faUed, in other words, to display the essential ability to translate his 

 thoughts into the language of his hearer. Or perhaps a personality defect 

 is excused on the ground that "after all, he will be working by himself and 

 won't have to meet people," whereas in fact the real value of a consultant 

 comes not in what he does at his desk, but in how much of it gets through 

 to his associates. The applicant who is boastful or pushing or querulous 

 should not be hired on the general theory that "all mathematicians are 

 queer." 



High standards in all such matters, and an interest in practical things 

 as well, are as important as technical mathematical ability. These are 

 stiff specifications, and the men to fill them are not to be found in every 

 market place. They are, however, the requirements implicit in the nature 

 of the job and no good can come from failing to recognize them. 



After the right man is hired, he is not a difficult person to supervise if 

 his function as a consultant to the rest of the staff is kept clearly in mind. 

 The broad objectives must be to avoid barriers which would tend to deter 

 his associates from seeking his services, and to assure that his work is justly 

 appraised and fairly compensated. 



The three barriers most likely to arise between him and his associates 

 are jealousy, red tape and unavailability. 



Jealousy is unavoidable if the man himself is self-seeking; once such 

 a man is hired trouble is inevitable. But the man is not always to blame. 

 A generous and cooperative recruit will be spoiled by an atmosphere too 

 highly charged with progress reports, or by a salary policy which bases 

 revisions upon the dollar value of the last year's work. Actually the 

 "progress" which is significant to management will be far more accurately 

 appraised by his colleagues than by himself, hence his reports have little 

 value except as they give him an opportunity to review and criticize his 

 own activities. If too much emphasis is placed upon them, even this 

 value will be lost and they will be written in the spirit of making a case for 

 himself, which is exactly the spirit most certain to breed jealousy. Simi- 

 larly, a salary policy based on dollar returns is essentially unjust, for the 

 money value of various bits of theoretical work has almost no correlation 

 with the scientific acumen which they require. This does not mean that a 

 mathematician's pay should, in the long run, be independent of the dollar 

 value of his services. It means only that whether he gets a raise this year, 

 and how big it shall be, should properly be based on the size, character and 

 satisfaction of his clientele, and not upon the commercial importance of the 

 questions they saw fit to bring him last year. 



