Shock and Horror: A Bureaucracy Protecting Itself

The Sensational Side

Insert news headline: Large bureaucratic organization covers up misdeeds of members to protect itself from admitting that there are anything but benevolent forces within the organization.

Churches, non-profits, government organizations, and large corporations all suffer from this disease that bureaucracy brings.  On a few occasions, the ultimate consumption of the disease is some major cover-up of criminal activity of some sort.

The Chronic Debilitating Disease

The sensational headlines distract from the underlying problem, by making people declare that the purpose of the organization: religious, governmental, business, etc… is inherently evil. Unfortunately, the evil is one that increasingly applies to all organizations as they get larger: The bureaucracy is a self-feeding organism.

Bureaucracies often create problems for which they cannot produce solutions. If the best solution involves tearing down parts of the bureaucracy, then the bureaucracy will do its best to defeat that solution. Consequently, the only problem that survives is a poor bandage solution that, ironically, creates more bureaucracy.

The Ultimate Symbol of a Runaway Bureaucracy:  The Status Meeting

THE BEATINGS MEETINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVES