This is just a rhetorical question/observation, but what if the organization is governmental? I work for State government at the moment, and, wow, the bureaucracy! I have to get approval for BUDGETED expenses, let alone unbudgeted. It's unlikely that a State or Town or other large civic organization will go extinct (said many people in Rome), so what is the nature of the damage wrought by the destructive tendencies of bureaucracy to our civic longevity? And is there any possibility of the emergence of permissionless (or less permission-heavy) practices in civic organizations? Is there any way for public life to become competitive in any arena other than the political?
Great observations, @Chris! Actually there is a big body of research that suggests that excessive bureaucracy does bring down governments. I would start with Mancur Olson's book "The Rise and Decline of Nations" in which he argues that thickets of special interests eventually strangle the ability of civic organizations to get anything done at all. Then if you really want to get depressed, have a look at the work of Peter Turchin who maps excessive overproduction of elites and links it to political infighting and even violence. For a somewhat more optimistic take, I kind of like Safi Bahcall's analysis of how CERN works and how you can eliminate what he calls "return on politics" in organizations. He has a great HBR called "The Innovation Equasion" that is well worth a look. Thanks for responding!
This is just a rhetorical question/observation, but what if the organization is governmental? I work for State government at the moment, and, wow, the bureaucracy! I have to get approval for BUDGETED expenses, let alone unbudgeted. It's unlikely that a State or Town or other large civic organization will go extinct (said many people in Rome), so what is the nature of the damage wrought by the destructive tendencies of bureaucracy to our civic longevity? And is there any possibility of the emergence of permissionless (or less permission-heavy) practices in civic organizations? Is there any way for public life to become competitive in any arena other than the political?
Great observations, @Chris! Actually there is a big body of research that suggests that excessive bureaucracy does bring down governments. I would start with Mancur Olson's book "The Rise and Decline of Nations" in which he argues that thickets of special interests eventually strangle the ability of civic organizations to get anything done at all. Then if you really want to get depressed, have a look at the work of Peter Turchin who maps excessive overproduction of elites and links it to political infighting and even violence. For a somewhat more optimistic take, I kind of like Safi Bahcall's analysis of how CERN works and how you can eliminate what he calls "return on politics" in organizations. He has a great HBR called "The Innovation Equasion" that is well worth a look. Thanks for responding!
Long before falling down, though, we'll observe erosion of trust!