Your comparison is interesting. I've only worked in government (US military, but also with many federal civilians), where we've all internalized the notion that

Your comparison is interesting. I've only worked in government (US military, but also with many federal civilians), where we've all internalized the notion that we're incompetent in every way compared to the private sector. But I could see your observation being a function of: 1. More managers and senior leaders "coming up through the ranks." A lot of people in government have been in the same agency or office for decades, so there's a lot of institutional knowledge that I suspect doesn't (even can't) exist in private companies. At least in the US DoD, it seems very rare to bring in people "off the street" through lateral entry for management jobs. People need clearances and institutional knowledge that they can only get by spending time working their way up. 2. Many things are pretty well specified in laws, policies, doctrine, etc. There's a way to do them, and the people directing and doing them both know what it entails. The downside of these things is the institutional inertia and bureaucracy for which we're famous.