with a due sense of caution

[winterbadger]

A memo I saw recently (who sent it, to whom, and about what are really irrelevant) described the results of a recent survey of the group involved and then included the subheading "Actioning the Results".

Is it really possible that someone thought that this was an appropriate use of the word "action"?

Someone please shoot me now.

Comments

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

:::boggling about the memoing:::

[mazzie.livejournal.com]

Verbing weirds language.
*nod*

There's a joke in there somewhere about verbs being action words, but I'm too tired ...

[winterbadger]

There's a joke in there somewhere about verbs being action words, but I'm too tired ...

My reaction exactly.

[bright-serpent.livejournal.com]

Calvin and Hobbes! Booyah!

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

actioning. . . .I can't even actually figure out what thzt is SUPPOSED to mean! So-called action verbs are important for a sense of urgency, one is told. (I think this is bunk, frankly.) But in any case, "action" is a general term (walking, talking, flexing, destroying-- these are all "actions" of a type). So "to action" results would be "to do something with," but the soemthing is left undefined, certainly vague. Thus, it's worse than many types of fake verbs used in various industry pidgins (of English and gobbledegook, a.k.a. jargon).

Not worth injury, though, in my opinion.

[winterbadger]

Well, I think it's shorthand for "Taking Action on the Results of This Survey We've Done".

What escapes me is why "acting" would not have been just as effective and tremendously less horrifying. I think it's because many people running organizations may have numerous business degrees but are not, in terms that I would recognize, educated.

[cutedeadgirl.livejournal.com]

I can just see people grab it and it becomes the business buzz word of the month... Just you wait.

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

ok, "takign action" or "acting on" . . . still vague. Typical hurry up and wait mumbo jumbo, in my opinion (a.k.a., let's look like we're doing something, or, as Paul Simon famously sang, "Let's all get together and call ourselves an institute.")

[motherwell.livejournal.com]

Such misuse of the English language is...actionable!