I have had some experiences lately where I have seen bureaucracy creep in projects in a very significant and quick manner, creating a serious impediment to progress and success. Although I know that it is the fate of many organizations, I was astonished by the mere speed at which bureaucracy can be created and imposed, even in project organizations that had been newly set-up only weeks or months ago.
Bureaucracy is not the same as developing and implementing effective processes. Bureaucracy is about creating processes of little effectiveness (even if very efficient!).
In the instances I observed, bureaucracy developed quickly in situations where the scope of work was not very well defined. Thus, significant initiative and cognitive work were required to move things forward. In this situation many contributors, maybe not keen to do the effort, will seek to look busy doing ‘stuff’. And this ‘stuff’ generally turns out to be the seed of bureaucracy. It is easy to look busy writing endless reports and participating to endless meetings!
So, one way to avoid this situation is to be extremely clear on the scope of work and on the tangible deliverables that need to be produced. It also explains why in phases of innovation, it is better to keep the team small, so as to avoid the temptation by those that might not be at the core of the creative process to develop bureaucracy (to look and keep busy).
Bureaucracy can truly stifle a project. Make sure it does not develop beyond the minimum necessary – in particular as in modern times the mechanical data management should be automatized.
For those interested, the best text on bureaucracy ever is from Parkinson in the Economist in 1955 and is accessible at this link: Parkinson’s law. (as known today, Parkinson’s law states that ‘work always expands to fit the time available‘).
