David Birren writes:
>>customers (in our case, taxpayers and legislators). They want everything,
>>so we try to give it to them. When we make judgments about priorities and
>>try to drop the low-priority work, we're told we have to keep doing it.
>>So why bother trying to change?
Virginia Shafer replied
>If the customer wants "everything," then they must be willing to pay for
>it. Make the taxpayers and legislators make the
>judgements on what is low-priority work.
But the customer, we the people are not willing to pay for it. We live in
one of the richest counties in the US and we can't get school bonds
passed. One of the largest debates in our political history is to balance
or not to balamce the budget. If you think this is agreed just wait until
the hard part of making it happen arrives.
I have great empathy for US Government employees. I have worked with many
dedicated folk who have a bad reputation. They are very poorly led too.
Neither the political appointee nor our elected officials are ready to
educate us about the cost and benefit of government services. When we
have pressing issues of quality of life and care the congree ties itself
up for two days over sanctions of Cuba. An ant of an issue. Why not work
hard for two days with health care?
We need this type of forum and the engagement of Americans from all walks
of life to discuss these issues and lead the congress in the right path.
How do we do that?
Why bother to change? Because we have to, the world is changing around us
and our children. Would you leave your children in a world worse for our
not trying? I think many ordinary Americans realize this situation and
want someone that can rally us around a reasonable program of
re-formation.
>>I think management, nay, leadership, has a responsibility to inform the
>customers of the cost of continuing to do "everything." What, if
>anything, is falling through the cracks? If everything is getting done,
>then you had the capacity for it all along.
The leadership has a harder job than simply informing us. They must
change a hugh complex system, the government. Every time I get bogged
down in a government bureauocracy I am amazed that the system works at
all. To be effective in achieving breakthrough improvements in US
Government performance I think there are two strategies.
First: To embark on a long term consistent strong effort to change.
Second: Slash and burn and after the fires are out rebuild.
The first can't be sustained between elections and the second is terribly
painful. A devil's choice. Does anyone have any better ideas?
Pardon me, my patriotism is showing.
bhobler@cpcug.org ( William J. Hobler, Jr.) Bill
--"William J. Hobler, Jr." <bhobler@cpcug.org>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>