05-21-2016, 09:23 PM
(05-21-2016, 08:27 AM)radind Wrote: The Adizes Corporate Lifecycle model looks good and provides a place to start discussion. One of my concerns is the large number of government agencies in the bureaucratic stage. Until we find a way to overcome the bureaucratic tendencies, I would like to see old agencies abolished on some reasonable timeline( 25 to 30 years). New agencies could be started as needed to provide a totally fresh start(clean out the barnacles).
One example that comes to mind are the multiple national laboratories that were started in WWII era. They may each be doing wonderful work, but I think we could do with fewer of them and don’t see the necessity for eternal life for such government agencies.
I did find a company with a different management structure. It will be interesting to see if this approach works long term and also see if this concept can be migrated to other organizations.
Quote:https://hbr.org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-...e-managers
First, Let’s Fire All the Managers
I am tempted to say that bureaucracy is the sophisticated and civilized way to do nasty and primitive things to people.
Few organizations, perhaps insurance companies excepted, begin with bureaucracies in place. Even banks started off in most cases as cottage industries in which the owner made most of the decisions. Bureaucracies are money-eaters, and they rarely produce much. It is hardly surprising that Adizes has bureaucracy as the final stage of life of many organizations. They are good at controlling things, but what they control is often suspect.
Not all government agencies are bureaucracies. School districts typically have a high ratio of teachers to administrators.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.