Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

One of my friends works for a large Public Sector company, here in the UK. She often tells me of stories of bureaucracy in relation to the office she works in. The latest story is one I have to share. As part of her administration role, she has to do a fair amount of photocopying. Without going into detail, the documents being photocopied are very important and have to be completed within certain timeframes. In order to use the photocopier each staff member has to input a code. The code is used to charge the costs to the correct budgets. Quite often, the photocopier breaks down. When this happens, it is reported and can take several weeks to be repaired.

Meanwhile, my friend is not allowed to use any other photocopier because:

1. her code only works on her departments photocopier
2. the other departments don’t let her because she would have to enter that departments code and they will be charged for the paper used

The impact – no photocopying of the important documents happens. The receivers of the photocopied documents don’t receive them and they can’t work and so on. All this impact for the cost of a few pages of paper. The cost of several individuals not working is much much higher!

Therefore, for the cost of a few pages of paper a number of the departments in this large Public Sector company stop work!!!

How crazy is that?

My friend gets very frustrated.

The managers don’t care.

Fundamentals of management is about being there for your staff; letting them get on and do their job well. As a manager, one should remove any of the blockages which are stopping them provide a great service.

Have you heard of such madness? 

This is so why I work for myself. 

A friend of mine from college still works there ... he`s been there over a decade at this point. And his tales of meetings and BS are straight out of "Office Space" and "Dilbert". I mean, the truth in these comedic mediums is what makes it funny.

Man, I`d go nuts working in a place like that.

Yes, heard of it.

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James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com

I`m living in France right now, if you think that`s bad you should hear some of the stuff that happens here.

As an example, it seems like people here in both the public or private sector are horribly afraid of flat corporate structures. I`ve stopped counting the number of very small businesses I`ve visited (sometimes even with only 1 employee besides the owner) where the owner has felt the need to produce a very detailed organizational chart carefully showing the hierarchy.

As a soon-to-be escapee from corporate culture I know too many examples that fit your story, Andrew.  I never cease to be amazed at the energy and inventiveness that go into actually stopping progress.  One observation: it can be a person who has no real power who will hold incredible control over copy machines, coffee machines (yes!), and mail deliveries.

I think of them as petty tyrants, and while the compassionate part of me feels for their frustration and pain, the part of me that just wants to get this project done, doggone it, wants to pitch them out the nearest window.




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Nancy Quay, LMSW
Ann Arbor Therapy Services, LLC
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.annarbortherapist.com
http://annarbortherapist.blogspot.com/