Monday, December 08, 2008

Making Matters Complicated

There are several proven ways to complicate matters. Among them are:
  1. Call in the lawyers.
  2. Have a dispute about one issue with more than one government agency.
  3. Appoint an 18 person committee to address the situation.
  4. Appoint more than one committee and let their responsibilities overlap.
  5. Bring in teams of consultants from different firms.
  6. Have multiple missions.
  7. Establish at least seven management tiers and never reduce those in a crisis.
  8. Punish simplicity and reward complexity.
  9. Let jargon flourish.
  10. Frequently change the goals.
  11. Reorganize every four months.
  12. Hoard vital information.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Committees are the duct tape of the business world. If you need something fixed, form a committee.

I guess the same can be said about our government!

Michael Wade said...

Deron,

Some wit described committees as cul-de-sacs down which ideas are lured and then strangled.