SteveJ-restore-test

The Rt. Hon. Ken Rudd PM has suggested on the News that he'll be seeking to improve the Federal Public Service. There's talk of a special Centre at the ANU to train people up too. Rudd might end up with a bunch of tests, metrics and new programs & processes, but I can guarantee it won't amount to a hill 'o beans. The one thing known about Bureaucracies is their ability to Resit Change. Read C. N. Parkinson ("Parkinsons Law" etc) for a view from the 1950's and some definitive economic analysis of the ultimate Bureaucracy: The UK's Ministry of Defence. After WWI, ships and fighting men - the essence of the Navy - declined dramatically. The Bureaucracy 'running' them increased overwhelmingly... Why? Because the primary purpose of Bureaucracies is themselves , not producing outcomes. The 38 episodes of the BBC's "Yes Minister" from the 1980's are a timeless tutorial for budding bureaucrats, Public or Private sector. Wind the ...

Forget the best, embrace the rest. It appears to me that 'Homo Corporatus ' (the 'management classes') rejects, seemingly actively, the need for maintaining "Lessons Learned" and adopting in practice the best theories & principles known. The Operant Methodology seems to be: Forget the best, embrace the rest . This isn't a little or accidental. It's endemic and universal. Look to General Management: Has day-to-day management improved in the last century or two? What about over the last two millennia? Did the Roman Empire/Army do much worse? The real changes, like OH&S, Superannuation (Pensions), Recreation & Long-Service Leave, Overtime and Penalties, and 40 hour weeks, are those that are enforced by law. The same observations apply to Project Management, especially within my field I.T. and I.S, but without any legal backing. Can you name just two proven, established Management theories or systems that have become entrenched and established ...