Temps Walker, Sandwichman and Deconsultant:
> On Sun, 16 Jul 2000, Edward R Weick wrote:
>
> > I would suggest that the root cause of bureaucratic overburden is the
need
> > to be accountable. Politicians are supposed to be accountable to the
public
> > and bureaucrats to the politicians.
>
> I would suggest something quite different: the need to APPEAR ACCOUNTABLE
> (cover one's ass) while being unaccountable. My view is a view from inside
> one bureaucracy that held the politicians and the broad public in
> contempt but that had a narrow public constituency that it served
> slavishly. There was just enough play in the rules to allow one to
> stonewall on some issues yet find an accomodation on others, depending of
> course on whose ox was getting gored.
>
I can't really argue against this. Unfortunately, it's the way it is.
Ed
