[iggori]

I get what you mean about long‑term ownership. My point in the article is a bit narrower. In many EU companies people don’t even get ownership inside the work itself. Decisions are spread so thin that nobody can push, take responsibility, or move anything forward.

I’m trying to understand whether this is a specifically European pattern or if US engineers run into the same thing.

[salawat]

So are you saying that in European firms, you'll attempt to take ownership of something and push forward an initiative; of which a part is getting in contact with, and developing a consensus with other operational stakeholders in the business, but eventually get told "No, you cannot proceed because $reason, and how dare you try, it's not your place?"

Absolutely happens in the U.S.; I've been on both sides of it. The one taking ownership, and the one denying someone else ownership. It's part of business. I've also been denied ownership as well, and grudgingly passed ownership. I can't say as I've had the pleasure of working for a European firm to shed light on that, but I will admit to being a bit jealous, because my biggest challenges have always been reining in skeevy behavior, which is something supposedly much easier to do over in Europe on account of regulators having a reputation for actually having teeth.

A lot of that could just be grass is greener fantasy on my part though. I'm almost afraid to have that bubble popped, because at times it is like the candleflame of hope in that there is at least somewhere they enforce doing things right.