It seems to be a fact of organisational life that the further up the chain of command you climb, the more removed from reality you become.

For example, the chairman of Acme Supermarkets Plc might genuinely believe that their stores offer a friendly, enthusiastic and efficient service.

And the director of the IT department in Acme Supermarkets Plc might genuinely believe that the systems they create and support are reliable and of a generally high quality.
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