-Caveat Lector- from: http://weatherhead.cwru.edu/Accounting/pub/parkinson_es.html <A HREF="http://weatherhead.cwru.edu/Accounting/pub/parkinson_es.html">Parkinson' s Law and Alfred the Accountant </A> ----- Parkinson's Law and Alfred the Accountant A Temporal Corollary by Ernest Stevelinck Northcote Parkinson made the astute observation: expenditure will rise to meet income. As a corollary it might be observed: the more time you have to do something, the more time it takes to finish. Thus, the person most occupied is precisely the person who has the most free time. An idle person can devote a whole day to the writing and sending of a postcard to a niece on holiday at the seacoast: an hour to find the card, an hour to search the apartment for one's glasses, half an hour to find the niece's addres, an hour and a quarter to write the postcard, and twenty minutes to determine if one should take an umbrella to go to the mailbox. Such a task can take three minutes for a busy person, but the idle person left prostrate after a day of doubt, anguish, and labor. If one admits that work is more engrossing if the amount of time taken to complete it is greater (this is particularily true for office work), then it also follows that there is little relation between the amount of work to be accomplished and the number of clerical staff responsible for its completion. The lack of real activity does not necessarily indicate idleness, and flagrant idleness does not necessarily indicate absence of real acitivity. Activities are inflated in importance and complexity in direct proportion to the time that can be devoted to them. While this is generally understood, it does not allow for later consequences, especially in the area of public administration. Politicians and taxpayers usually assume that an increase in the total strength of civil servants reflects a growing volume of work that must be accomplished. Wicked persons [political correctness requires that they be referred to as "kindness impaired"] might imagine that the multiplication of officials might give some people more leisure time or allow for a reduction of everyone's office hours. But, in fact, there is no direct relation between the number of officials and the quantity of work to be accomplished. The increase is the number of clerks is governed by Parkinson's Law and becomes a constant whether the "work to do" volume increases, decreases, or is even reduced to nothing. It is a fact that an official in a "growth" business would multiply his subordinates and not his rivals. It is also known that such build-up works to their mutual advantage. Imagine an overworked official named Alfred the Accountant. It doesn't much matter whether this impression is justified or now. To remedy this overwork (real or imagined) three solutions are availible: •He can resign. •He can ask to have a colleague share his work, and •He can ask for assistance from two subordinates. Alfred cannot really choose any other solution than the third one. By resigning, he loses his right of retirement. Sharing work with a fellow worker puts him at the same level as himself and adds a potential rival for the day when it would be necessary to appoint a replacement for hiss boss (when he retires). It is clear that Alfred prefers to have two subordinates who would add to his prestige. By dividing the work between the two (Barry and Bill) he will have the advantage of being the only one with a comprehensive and complete view of the situation. At this point it is necessary to understand that Barry and Bill are of equal status. To appoint Barry alone would not be possible. Because Barry would share the work with Alfred and thus become his colleague. The subordinate must, therefore, be two or more in number and each kept in fear that the other will gain a promotion. When Bill in turn, complains of being overworked, Alfred will recommend that Bill be given two assisants. But, to avoid internal conflict, Alfred will recommend that Barry also be given two assistants so the two positions remain essentially the same. Thus, with the hiring of Charles and Chistopher, Donna and David, the promotion be seniority of Alfred is practically assured. Seven officials are now doing what one man alone did in the past. But these seven people as a group now have such a large amount of work that they do not have any free time, and Alfred has in fact more work than ever. A document coming in can pass by all the officials: Christopher decides that this affair should be handled by Donna, who transmits to Barry a draft of a reply. Barry completely changes to draft before he asks Bill for advice who, in turn, asks Charles to work on the project. Meanwhile, Charles takes his holiday. The file is remitted to David who writes out a note, which is signed by Bary and returned to Bill who makes modifications according to the note, the modified reply is then given to ALfred. What then is Alfred going to do? He could easily sign the reply without reading it because he has many other matters he needs to address. But knowing that he will get his superior's job next year, he must decide if it will be Bill or Barry who will succeed him. He was required to permit Charles to take his holiday even though he was not entitled to it. Alfred asks himself if maybe Christopher should be sidmissed for health reasons. Christopher has looked ill for some time... in part, but not solely, due to family problems. Also, there is the problem of the exceptional increase in wages for Donna after her annual evaluation, and the request by David to be permitted to transfer to the pensions division. Alfred also hears that Bill is having an affair with a married typist and that Charles and David are not speaking to each other. Alfred could be tempted to sign the reply presented to him by Bill and think no more about it. But Alfred is a conscientious man and bothered about the problems among his subordinates. These problems are created by the very existance of civil servants but he is not a man to balk at his job. Alfred reads carefully the reply, cuts out the ambiguous paragraphs added by Bill and Barry, and goes back to the reply fisrt presented by Donna, who does her work very well even though she is bad-tempered [more politically correct might be that "she displays an overagressive equilibrium"]. He then corrects the syntax errors - all of these young people are ignorant of grammar - and redrafts the report to exactly what he would have written if he had prepared it himself (as if the numerous subordinates had never existed). A great number of people have taken up a lot of time to produce the same result. However, nobody idled away his time but each person could have done it better. Late in the evening, Alfred finally can leave his office and head for his home in the suburbs. The lights of the other offices are fading in the twilight, marking the end of another administrative workday. And round-shouldered, Alfred goes out among the late leavers, thinking, with a bitter smile on his lips that, as his hair grays, late office hours count as the price to pay for successful results. ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
