.... bureaucracy is the same whether it is owned by the state or shareholders

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  • aka Calum Da Jazbo
    Late member
    • Nov 2010
    • 9173

    .... bureaucracy is the same whether it is owned by the state or shareholders

    Serco is in difficulties


    ... for me this brings to attention a deep confusion in public debate between public and private ... it is clear for example that the public sector is a major driving force for innovation and creativity in the economy; it is also clear that commercial organisations can be the very dregs when it comes to customer service, honesty and successful management [banks, energy companies, major retailers spring to mind]

    the debate about ownership obfuscate the dire reality that Bureaucracy is Bureaucracy is Bureaucracy and there is not much there there; neither commercial nor public ownership ensures effective leadership and management ... it is far more about competence and confidence than any ideology of ownership attributes

    now one difficulty is that good and effective organisations require effective and appropriate accountability mechanisms ..... these are lacking in both public and private spheres

    a second is that a good organisation needs to have a clear and realisable mission which engages its stakeholders; James Palumbo gave a short master class in what this might entail this morning on Essential Classics when he gave Sarah the reasoning for not contemplating classical music recordings on his Ministry of Sound label ... in two minutes of clear reasoning he demolished the Wright strategy for R3; classical music content and demographics do not fit his commercial model and a commercial model , by implication, does not fit classical music


    a major force for privatisation and the marketisation of all of life [and most criminally our universities] has been the desire of the right wing (and such as Gordon Brown [who let them grab to grant his messiah complex a gratification]) to let their chums get their hands on the money ... well it is not quite as simple as all that as Serco shows

    poor management is endemic in the UK across all organisations, evidence and truth about performance are pretty hard to come by .... we desperately need a more informed and open debate about what our organisations are for and how they must be managed to serve their aims that is not stitched up by careerists, psychopaths and assorted gangsters as it is now

    the onus on the public to be intelligent about this is high and we will struggle to overcome our tabloid induced dogmatisms and condemnations [since when has the tabloid blame game improved the effectiveness of social care rather than damaging it; since when has there been a proper debate about rewards for politicians?]

    good organisations that deliver are characterised by sanity .... unless their political and social context is as well they will default to the current madness
    Last edited by aka Calum Da Jazbo; 10-11-14, 13:03.
    According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.
  • Frances_iom
    Full Member
    • Mar 2007
    • 2411

    #2
    please edit your bad link

    Comment

    • aka Calum Da Jazbo
      Late member
      • Nov 2010
      • 9173

      #3
      done though how it got to be bad is a mystery!
      According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.

      Comment

      • Serial_Apologist
        Full Member
        • Dec 2010
        • 37614

        #4
        Originally posted by aka Calum Da Jazbo View Post
        Serco is in difficulties

        a major force for privatisation and the marketisation of all of life [and most criminally our universities] has been the desire of the right wing (and such as Gordon Brown [who let them grab to
        ... for me this brings to attention a deep confusion in public debate between public and private ... it is clear for example that the public sector is a major driving force for innovation and creativity in the economy; it is also clear that commercial organisations can be the very dregs when it comes to customer service, honesty and successful management [banks, energy companies, major retailers spring to mind]
        The debate is an ideological one, predicated on the initial assumption that "restrictive practices" make the public sector more expensive. In the end the Right would rather have the added bureaucratic expense of repeatedly toothcombing through "competitive tenders" until the one that works better is never found, not to mention the serial duplication of high salaried CEOs etc etc, than concede that employees from either sector are equally entitled to union representation

        the debate about ownership obfuscate the dire reality that Bureaucracy is Bureaucracy is Bureaucracy and there is not much there there; neither commercial nor public ownership ensures effective leadership and management ... it is far more about competence and confidence than any ideology of ownership attributes
        One solution to bureaucracy would be periodical electing of officials to management places and not paying salaries on a par with the private sector which, as we have seen more and more since privatisation has become the only model, by no means ensures intelligence or integrity.

        good organisations that deliver are characterised by sanity .... unless their political and social context is as well they will default to the current madness
        The point about context is the most important one, because under the present system wastefulness gets swept under the carpet in favour of individuals being blamed for what is a priori systemic and rooted in a cynical view of human nature and motivation.

        Comment

        • aka Calum Da Jazbo
          Late member
          • Nov 2010
          • 9173

          #5
          Murray Bookchin wrote a book about it a while ago
          According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.

          Comment

          • Serial_Apologist
            Full Member
            • Dec 2010
            • 37614

            #6
            I realise it's an over-reaction, but the tiniest glimmer of hope, anytime, anywhere these days, sends me into paroxysms of elation.

            Comment

            • aka Calum Da Jazbo
              Late member
              • Nov 2010
              • 9173

              #7
              just like supporting England; it is the hope that kills you!
              According to the best estimates of astronomers there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.

              Comment

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