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My supervisor at work has asked me to find one word which perfectly relates the following phrase:

'You are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.'

He wants to be able to use the word as noun, verb and possibly adjective. So a word for each type would be acceptable

(P.S. I work in IT - Computer Programmer)

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    I am tempted to answer "Plonker!" goo.gl/UnMx6Y., but it is not obvious what part of speech you want this word to occupy. Is it a noun, a verb? Is it a bird, is it plane? ;-) – chasly from UK Jul 22 '15 at 11:56
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    I believe the standard word is IYANPOTSYAPOTP. – Dan Bron Jul 22 '15 at 12:09
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    One might argue that you (and your supervisor) are part of the problem by expecting such a term to exist. – Hot Licks Jul 22 '15 at 12:37
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    It should be noted that the full expression is "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." It's not a "criminal sentence" but a statement of philosophy. – Hot Licks Jul 22 '15 at 12:40
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    @Some_Guy Any field in which a supervisor wants to stifle dissent in favor of his currently-approved group-think. If you're not part of the solution, you're actually part of the precipitate. – deadrat Jul 22 '15 at 17:29
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Counterproductive

Oxford: having the opposite of the desired effect: The response to the disaster was unsuccessful and perhaps even counterproductive.

Macmillan: having a result that is the opposite of the one you intended: Research shows that sending young offenders to prison can be counterproductive.

Cambridge: having an effect that is the opposite of what you intend or desire: As a way to improve traffic, widening roads can be counterproductive, as it may just encourage more people to drive.

Collins: achieves the opposite result from the one that you want to achieve: In practice, however, such an attitude is counter-productive.

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How about "hindrance". Similarly someone can be "hindering" the progress of a project.

But I'm afraid you can't be s hindrantacious person. Still, 2 out of 3 isn't bad!

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  • good point. Guess we'll never need hindrantacious after all – Some_Guy Jul 23 '15 at 8:14
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Roadblock, defined by Merriam Webster as:

  1. something that blocks progress or prevents accomplishment of an objective

Your supervisor could say:

X's suggestions are nothing but roadblocks to getting this job done on schedule. (noun)

If your supervisor likes this word, he can easily make it into a verb or an adjective.

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There's that old (original TV series) "Twilight Zone" episode where, in the future, if you are not deemed a useful member of society, you may be voted obsolete by a govt. committee - and summarily executed.

Your supervisor can probably use this reference for a jarring dramatic effect. (Tell him/her to climb on a desk, point to the offending party, and bellow "Obsolete!") (It might help to find the episode on YouTube, or something)

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To emphasize that the coworker is not passive, but involved in causing the problem:

abet -

encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong

n. abettor, v. abet, adj. abetting.

I much prefer complicit for the adjective. Abetting is a stretch in that sense.

I also like n. detriment, v. stymie, adj. detrimental.

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In the IT sense, I use these words (depending on the situation):

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Lacking self-awareness, or Clueless.

Lacking understanding or knowledge [1]

[1]: American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/clueless

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Liability

By your actions and behavior (or like thereof) in this company, you have not made yourself an asset to this company, but rather a liability.

I appreciate thinking about situations from an economic/accounting/investing perspective. Since your work is probably for-profit, such a perspective might drive directly to the heart of the matter (and do so in a beautiful synthesis of poetry and cold hard cash).

See Investopedia's take on the term via the link below.

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/liability.asp

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