There is a certain level of bureaucracy that is required for a civilization to function well. This allows for accurate records on individuals such as birth and death certificates, medical records, licenses, criminal records, property deeds, etc. However, there are also points where bureaucracy can become overly time consuming (I just spent an hour filling out forms for Connor to play football this school year, not to be confused with the forms I filled out for him to play this summer) or outright hinder a civilization's growth (such as the intentional red-tape runaround used by insurance companies and warranties). Like all things human-made bureaucracy has its flaws that can sometimes outweigh its benefits. Aside from the football paperwork (well, electronic-form-work), I had two other reminders about the frustrations of bureaucracies today.
The first was fictional. As we watched season 3 of The Mandalorian today, it was clear that the New Republic had become a bureaucratic mess. People were placed into mind-numbing jobs that included the destruction of assets which could have been put to good use but no one had filled out the proper forms. Emotionless droids queried workers about the mental and emotional well-being in a way that made it clear that only the "correct" answers were expected. Finally, people who asked for help were denied it because they had not gone through the proper channels. Make no mistake, the Empire was worse, but the New Republic was also pretty terrible.
The second was with a set of reminders that our school is being reviewed for its accreditation this year. As an idea, this makes sense, we want to make certain that our schools are providing our students the education they need to be successful in life (whether the students actually apply themselves can be another matter). However, the process to provide the "proof" required for accreditation is time-consuming and not really a beneficial use of resources. It is a needlessly complex process which is mostly in place to justify the purpose of the organization that grants the accreditation. Don't get me wrong, there can be good information that comes from this process, but it's largely just a series of hoops set up for some sort of dog show.
Unfortunately, I don't have an idea for how to do it better. Well, okay, I do, but it is both more complicated that I want to get into and would require more funding than anyone would want to devote to the purpose. Plus, just the thought of writing it out feels like bureaucratic work.
The first was fictional. As we watched season 3 of The Mandalorian today, it was clear that the New Republic had become a bureaucratic mess. People were placed into mind-numbing jobs that included the destruction of assets which could have been put to good use but no one had filled out the proper forms. Emotionless droids queried workers about the mental and emotional well-being in a way that made it clear that only the "correct" answers were expected. Finally, people who asked for help were denied it because they had not gone through the proper channels. Make no mistake, the Empire was worse, but the New Republic was also pretty terrible.
The second was with a set of reminders that our school is being reviewed for its accreditation this year. As an idea, this makes sense, we want to make certain that our schools are providing our students the education they need to be successful in life (whether the students actually apply themselves can be another matter). However, the process to provide the "proof" required for accreditation is time-consuming and not really a beneficial use of resources. It is a needlessly complex process which is mostly in place to justify the purpose of the organization that grants the accreditation. Don't get me wrong, there can be good information that comes from this process, but it's largely just a series of hoops set up for some sort of dog show.
Unfortunately, I don't have an idea for how to do it better. Well, okay, I do, but it is both more complicated that I want to get into and would require more funding than anyone would want to devote to the purpose. Plus, just the thought of writing it out feels like bureaucratic work.
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