There is a gap.
On the surface of things our democratic society is ideological perfection. The bureaucracy of government is filled with intelligent, forward thinking and energetic people. Society is full of people with good intentions and strong morals.
To become a government employee you have to display a certain willingness to work within the existing structures that provide the framework, the trunk and branches if you will, for this society. The problem is that the existing structures do not allow the creative people in the government departments to adequately communicate the key messages and the government’s intent in a way that makes everyday people want to take action on issues that make them passionate. Even worse, many people outside of government don’t know what they are and are not allowed to do because government communicates so badly. A case of not seeing the new leaves because the tree has carefully crafted them to look like cleaner versions of the old ones. The reality is that new and exciting things relevant to everyone occur everyday but are smothered in government language no-one really cares.
So how do we get the intelligent people in government departments to start making policies and running programs that are suitably promoted to the society we live in?
We’re not talking about dumbing down work or stifling innovation. All we need is for the work of public servants to be based in the real world. After all, when they clock off at the end of every working day and extract themselves from the world of legislation and regulation, they revert back to every day people bound by the same laws and rules as everybody else.
A short period of semi-anarchy would be my advice. Pull down the structures and replace them with new ones. Ones that remove political career ambition. Ones that provide services for the community rather than jobs for union members. Ones that streamline processes for people who need it most, rather than the people who wield the most economic power. We need to shake the tree to get the seeds to fall to the ground and make new things to grow. Our government becomes more efficient meaning it’s less expensive to run and as tax payers we get a better return on our investment.
There is of course the reality check here. The intelligent people in the system are there because they know they’re onto a good thing. Great conditions, better than average pay and a fixed, relatively short working week. The risk according to these people is that the tree could fall on their head if they shake too hard. These people, the ones who know the systems best and have the most cynicism are the ones who should be anarchistic but are the ones least likely to be. Common cries in the corridors of bureaucracy are “but I’m paying off the mortgage, but my kids need…, I may not be able to afford that overseas holiday next year”. When it all comes out in the wash, these people, the people in the ivory towers with energy and a desire to create change are also the ones who are the most threatened by change.
Let’s try replacing our lead public servants with blue collar workers rather than experienced white collar business folk. People that are self employed or work in small businesses. People that are aware of how important it is to talk simply and have simple ways of dealing with complex things. If there’s a problem, solve it, don’t just write a briefing and a project plan.
Let’s get some clear cut “do’s” and “do nots” for all our society and make sure people hear about it in a way that is appropriate.
Despite some of them being as visionary as Newton, public servants are addicted to working in the large safety net of cumbersome organisations. They are the ones most likely to ask “Why shake a tree when you could get hit in the head with an apple?”
Me, I’d happily suffer the occasional bruised noggin to taste the sweet nectar in a ripe, fresh apple that I know is doing me good.
Actually, I’d rather plant an apple tree in a garden and maintain it to reduce my impact on the environment and work towards social equity but that’s a whole other blog entry.
To become a government employee you have to display a certain willingness to work within the existing structures that provide the framework, the trunk and branches if you will, for this society. The problem is that the existing structures do not allow the creative people in the government departments to adequately communicate the key messages and the government’s intent in a way that makes everyday people want to take action on issues that make them passionate. Even worse, many people outside of government don’t know what they are and are not allowed to do because government communicates so badly. A case of not seeing the new leaves because the tree has carefully crafted them to look like cleaner versions of the old ones. The reality is that new and exciting things relevant to everyone occur everyday but are smothered in government language no-one really cares.
So how do we get the intelligent people in government departments to start making policies and running programs that are suitably promoted to the society we live in?
We’re not talking about dumbing down work or stifling innovation. All we need is for the work of public servants to be based in the real world. After all, when they clock off at the end of every working day and extract themselves from the world of legislation and regulation, they revert back to every day people bound by the same laws and rules as everybody else.
A short period of semi-anarchy would be my advice. Pull down the structures and replace them with new ones. Ones that remove political career ambition. Ones that provide services for the community rather than jobs for union members. Ones that streamline processes for people who need it most, rather than the people who wield the most economic power. We need to shake the tree to get the seeds to fall to the ground and make new things to grow. Our government becomes more efficient meaning it’s less expensive to run and as tax payers we get a better return on our investment.
There is of course the reality check here. The intelligent people in the system are there because they know they’re onto a good thing. Great conditions, better than average pay and a fixed, relatively short working week. The risk according to these people is that the tree could fall on their head if they shake too hard. These people, the ones who know the systems best and have the most cynicism are the ones who should be anarchistic but are the ones least likely to be. Common cries in the corridors of bureaucracy are “but I’m paying off the mortgage, but my kids need…, I may not be able to afford that overseas holiday next year”. When it all comes out in the wash, these people, the people in the ivory towers with energy and a desire to create change are also the ones who are the most threatened by change.
Let’s try replacing our lead public servants with blue collar workers rather than experienced white collar business folk. People that are self employed or work in small businesses. People that are aware of how important it is to talk simply and have simple ways of dealing with complex things. If there’s a problem, solve it, don’t just write a briefing and a project plan.
Let’s get some clear cut “do’s” and “do nots” for all our society and make sure people hear about it in a way that is appropriate.
Despite some of them being as visionary as Newton, public servants are addicted to working in the large safety net of cumbersome organisations. They are the ones most likely to ask “Why shake a tree when you could get hit in the head with an apple?”
Me, I’d happily suffer the occasional bruised noggin to taste the sweet nectar in a ripe, fresh apple that I know is doing me good.
Actually, I’d rather plant an apple tree in a garden and maintain it to reduce my impact on the environment and work towards social equity but that’s a whole other blog entry.
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