CUT RED TAPE: REDUCING BUREAUCRACY, RAISING STANDARDS

[My personal musings, inspired by Page 2 of 'The Brainaissance Program of iCAPitalism Seminars with... The World's Most Powerful Learning Systems for... The Learning Economy', by Dilip Mukerjea]


Dilip Mukerjea poses a very pertinent question here:

"Is red tape the only thing that's keeping your organisation together?"

To me, red tape also applies in the personal setting.

Just like bureaucracy, red tape is the opposite of efficiency.

In actual fact, 'bureaucracy' & 'red tape' are synonymous.

They suggest a lack of initiative, a bias for inaction, & excessive adherence to archaic rules & inflexible routines. Even more serious, they create an impersonal force dominating the life of oneself as well as others.

So, how does one deals with the bureaucracy running amok & the tyranny of red tape, so to speak, in a personal setting?

I offer a few suggestions:

- examine your own work performance (key result areas), with the view to cut down time & effort-consuming activities;

- apply Pareto's Law or the 80/20 Rule, & focus on high leverage activities that move you forward;

- explore & adopt alternatives & options that generate the greatest net benefits to yourself, as well to others around you;

- review regularly what works & what doesn't work, especially your habitual routines, to ensure relevancy & effectiveness;

- consider: what do I need to do more of? what do I need to do less of? what do I need to start doing? what do I need to stop doing?

- talk regulary to other people, especially stakeholders;

- embrace adhocracy by benchmarking against other high-performance individuals &/or organisations;

- develop a personal bias for initiative & action;

[Readers can go to this link to download a free copy of the book, 'Busting Bureaucracy: How to Conquer Your Organisation's Worst Enemy', by Kenneth Johnson.]