Apparatchik ( ) is a Russian colloquial term for a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party or government "apparat" (apparatus) that held any position of bureaucratic or political responsibility, with the exception of the higher ranks of management called "Nomenklatura".  James Billington describes one as "a man not of grand plans, but of a hundred carefully executed details." It is often considered a derogatory term, with negative connotations in terms of the quality, competence, and attitude of a person thus described.