4 ms·

The shift in the western world into paper pushing in healthcare, education, construction, etc doesn't always come in the form of more bureaucrats. Sometimes it'

by klabb3 4y ago

The shift in the western world into paper pushing in healthcare, education, construction, etc doesn't always come in the form of more bureaucrats. Sometimes it's teachers spending time with ever more frequent and granular grading and survey systems, and doctors filling forms for hours a day. It feels like the McKinsey-style design of large orgs has permeated the public sector just as much if not more than the private one. It always comes with a massive amount of procedure – employee surveys, follow-ups and meaningless 10-scale measurements, so that leadership can rest easy knowing that every decision they make is data driven. Somehow a spreadsheet analyst should be able to diagnose and fix every possible issue in an incremental manner, and conversely, all poor decisions are due to insufficient data.

r_hoods_ghost 4y ago
Yes the demand to have a documented policy, procedure and metrics for everything even if no one ever reads them, follows them or analyses them is insane. At the same time there's been this huge increase in the amount of useless correspondence and a cultural shift away from hiring people to help manage and filter this stuff so people can do actual work (aka old school secretaries and admin assistants). Harrumph
- ethbr0 4y ago
  IMHO, every required documentation policy should have its opportunity cost measured against the decrease in actual work being done. E.g. "Do we think this form being filled out is worth someone not being able to see a doctor?"
  - klabb3 4y ago
    Yes it SHOULD be. But the anxious leaders want more data for no other reason than to look at it and think they're more informed, when in reality they are not. It's like being addicted to looking in the mirror. It's good if you can notice the chocolate around your mouth, but more than that isn't helping, it's just a hobby. Only in this case your hobby is destroying everyone else's joy and productivity.

by klabb3 4y ago

r_hoods_ghost 4y ago

Yes the demand to have a documented policy, procedure and metrics for everything even if no one ever reads them, follows them or analyses them is insane. At the same time there's been this huge increase in the amount of useless correspondence and a cultural shift away from hiring people to help manage and filter this stuff so people can do actual work (aka old school secretaries and admin assistants). Harrumph

ethbr0 4y ago
IMHO, every required documentation policy should have its opportunity cost measured against the decrease in actual work being done. E.g. "Do we think this form being filled out is worth someone not being able to see a doctor?"
- klabb3 4y ago
  Yes it SHOULD be. But the anxious leaders want more data for no other reason than to look at it and think they're more informed, when in reality they are not. It's like being addicted to looking in the mirror. It's good if you can notice the chocolate around your mouth, but more than that isn't helping, it's just a hobby. Only in this case your hobby is destroying everyone else's joy and productivity.