Jonah Goldberg has a rich broth of a column noting the power of hidden law.
I've seen the trend toward complexity in the workplace. Problems which, in the past, would have been resolved by calling someone into an office and saying "Don't do that again" are cranked up into major inquiries and formal actions. The old line of "We don't want to make a federal case of this" has become "We're afraid someone will make a federal case of this so we'll treat it like a potential federal case."
2 comments:
I think you're right to use the word 'complexity' in this context. At bottom, the world is complex in a mathematical-physical sense. That is, there's literally no way to know all the inner workings of some dynamic systems to the degree that you can predict future states.
Nevertheless, there's a very human desire to eliminate uncertainty. I think Jonah recognizes the tension that exists between these two things, and argues that in some cases you need to accept that some problems can't be solved by legislating from afar. You're going to have to rely on equally dynamic responses when difficulties arise.
Larry,
Good point about uncertainty. Some forms of management are the equivalent of over-protective parenting practices. In many cases, risk can be reduced but not eliminated and the efforts to remove risk create risks of their own.
Michael
Post a Comment