| After reading one too many articles about the need to | | | | the other hand, US$200 may be the cost of that |
| eliminate cumbersome processes in the industry I | | | | matching set of keyboard, mouse, and speakers that |
| found myself thinking about the roots of bureaucracy. | | | | look great with the replacement workstation you |
| Processes are made to guide the execution of action, | | | | received last week. |
| and invariably include approval checkpoints to ensure | | | | Personal responsibility to the rescue |
| those actions were executed. While processes must | | | | In the tragedy of the commons, the only known |
| be simplified and eventually automated, checkpoints | | | | solution is to eliminate or reduce the "commons" in |
| are the real productivity killers. | | | | favor of personal ownership, whatever that resource |
| On lack of trust and inefficiencies | | | | may be. Karl Marx would not be proud. |
| Some are offended by what they consider a lack of | | | | Scott Adams once suggested, in the serious portion of |
| trust, others are distressed by foiled acquisition of | | | | his excellent "The Dilbert Principle", that companies |
| equipment that could make their work more efficient. I | | | | actually gave money to employees for the purchase |
| have been on both camps, but I eventually got over | | | | of office items instead of the traditional supply bins |
| both feelings. The reason? Show me a person with | | | | spread through the building. It would be up to |
| some common sense and I will show you four other | | | | employees to individually purchase the supplies they |
| people who cannot tell what they need from what | | | | needed or keep the money. The actual amount is |
| they want. | | | | unimportant - the bean counters have all the numbers |
| At the root of bureaucracy one will often find the need | | | | they need to calculate that amount - but the company |
| to control the usage of common resources, whether it | | | | would no longer need to burden administrative staff |
| is the approval for the construction of a wall or for the | | | | with those tasks. |
| acquisition of a new network router. In a never ending | | | | The real question is, could one try and stretch that |
| loop, people in the "I need the resource to do my job" | | | | approach to personal laptops or desktop computers? |
| camp find ways around the processes and the | | | | In many geographies, the cost of these machines can |
| bureaucracy responds with more control points. | | | | rival the monthly salary of their users. What happens |
| Bureaucracy thrives on the intersection of limited | | | | when you hand out the money for equipment that |
| resources with resourceful people. | | | | should last 3 years and the person leaves the |
| Executives and keyboard purchases | | | | company before that period is over? Impound |
| Remove all the control points, and you soon my have | | | | whatever they bought or demand a refund? |
| a tragedy of the commons on your hands. | | | | Solve that riddle and the end of bureaucracy may be |
| Of course, the extreme case of a senior executive | | | | at hand. |
| approving a US$200 purchase should be avoided. On | | | | |