In a real organization

"In a real organization..." is the start of a sentence that is used to sarcastically mock an organization or similar entity that is being a cheapskate or is doing something unprofessionally. The format of the sentence is usually "In a real organization they do/have something" which implies that the organization the speaker is mocking does not do/have that something even though it should. The context should also make it clear what is missing from the current organization but it can also be explained in the sentence.

If the organization is hierarchical, the ones at the bottom of the hierarchy may use this sentence for complaining. In those cases the "In a real organization..." remarks are not meant to be heard by the ones higher up in the hierarchy as they would most likely consider them insulting.

When used by coworkers as described above, this phrase can also boost the team spirit as it indicates that you have a common problem and suffer from it together. In these cases the form "If this was a real organization, we'd do/have something" is also common.

The word "organization" can also be replaced with anything that describes the environment more accurately: software company, library, warehouse, etc.

Example 1: "In a real army we would've received a full magazine of blanks for this exercise, instead of just five rounds."

Example 2: "If this was a real IT company we would have a dedicated continuous integration server."

Example 3: "In a real library you'd have a dedicated shelf of sci-fi novels."

Example 4: "In a real organization you would've had a raise by now."

by ZeroOne^ July 23, 2010

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