Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

The success of many endeavors should lead to dissolving the endeavor. It is unfortunate, however, that the result is often bureaucracy.

I have seen it many times.

Let’s start an association:

to improve the performance of X,

to increase the awareness of Y,

to teach the practice of Z, or

some such noble task.

People form the association, they perform the work, they accomplish the goal, i.e., they succeed. Now what?

One next step is to dissolve the association. It is no longer needed as the reason for its existence is gone.

Another next step is to continue the association and grow it. Collect dues; establish rules of membership; lobby the legislature, and go big time. In other words, create a bureaucracy. The bureaucracy appeals to the ego. I mean, I could be the founder and president of a 10,000-member association that I started with three friends at my kitchen table. Wow! Wouldn’t that be a nice thing to have said at my funeral?

Of course the bureaucracy could be bloated, wasteful, corrupt, and generally be a big waste of time.

Choices, choices, choices.