| "Let's form a committee!" When you hear these | | | | recently heard one local selectman state that both |
| words during a public meeting, a warning light | | | | the "Share the Road" signs (i.e., share with |
| should start flashing, for more often than not | | | | bicycles) and promoted by the ever-so-righteous |
| Parkinson's law may be coming into play. One of | | | | Rotarians, and the construction of two major |
| the many precepts from this law states that | | | | rotaries (i.e.,roundabouts) on a local arterial |
| work expands so as to fill the time available for | | | | parkway are important issues. The implication was |
| its completion. It was first articulated by C. | | | | that both were of equal importance. Surely he |
| Northcote Parkinson, a British scholar, in the book | | | | was not serious.....but he was! The sign issue should |
| "Parkinson's Law: The Pursuit of Progress," | | | | not even have been on the table. It was a classic |
| (London, John Murray, 1958). Based on extensive | | | | example of where the amount of time given to |
| experience in the British Civil Service system, his | | | | an issue is so far out of proportion to its |
| scientific observations noted, among other things, | | | | importance, it makes one wobble. In this |
| that as the British empire declined, the number of | | | | connection, Parkinson not surprisingly laid down a |
| employees at the colonial office increased. | | | | dynamic that said groups spend time on subjects |
| Parkinson claimed this was caused by two forces: | | | | in inverse proportion to the importance of the |
| One, officials want to multiply subordinates, not | | | | subject. The issue of rotaries on the |
| rivals; and two, officials make work for each | | | | aforementioned parkway is indeed important but |
| other.Among many other things, his law is also | | | | hopefully will not lead to a study committee which |
| used to refer to a derivative of the original law | | | | may in turn lead to subcommittees. Instead, the |
| relating to computers; namely, data expands to fill | | | | selectmen need to resolve this. Again, warning |
| the space available for storage (see Moore's | | | | lights are beginning to flash, though ever so |
| Law).Verification of this law is most readily found | | | | dimly.For a new and even more negative meaning |
| in government where bureaucrats usually want | | | | regarding the wasteful practice of patronage, all |
| subordinates, but not competitors, to help with | | | | one need do is take time to review the gross |
| overwork. In the field of public administration in | | | | duplication of effort between the Massachusetts |
| the United States, it has been widely observed | | | | Turnpike and that state's Department of |
| that work tends to increase in importance and | | | | Transportation. Patronage is a phenomena which |
| complexity in direct proportion with the time to | | | | Parkinson perhaps did not fully take into account |
| be spent. Politicians and, frequently, taxpayers | | | | but most assuredly would make his eyes roll. |
| (the latter with at least an occasional sense of | | | | Indeed. the public sector in Massachusetts is an |
| doubt) have assumed that an increased number | | | | exemplar of Parkinson's law gone stark-raving |
| of civil servants must be the result of an | | | | mad. Maybe that's why Massachusetts is called a |
| increased amount of work to be performed.Here | | | | Commonwealth.So what say we form a |
| is an example, widely used by other writers, of | | | | committee to review rotaries or some other |
| how it works. Let's assume an individual | | | | subject. Let's schedule meetings, lots of them. |
| contributor (for example, one who is part of the | | | | Let's analyze the results of these meetings. Let's |
| overhead structure) finds herself overworked. For | | | | schedule more meetings to discuss the analyses. |
| this real or imagined overwork situation, there are | | | | Now let's assign priorities and hire some people or |
| at least three solutions. First, she can simply quit, | | | | "experts" to handle the tasks resulting from the |
| but this is not a likely outcome given the loss of | | | | priorities. The hires, of course, will attach great |
| relatively generous public sector benefits. | | | | significance to their work and likely will attempt to |
| Secondly, she might request that the work be | | | | expand it as far as possible. Their salaries will then |
| divided with another employee, but this creates | | | | go into a line item budget under a cost center |
| an unwanted rival for promotion. Or thirdly, she | | | | entitled, "salaries." When this happens, Parkinson's |
| might ask for the assistance of two subordinates | | | | law has set in and things are no longer a joke."By |
| thus adding to her importance. Assuming the third | | | | expanding their 'work' to fill the time available, and |
| choice is the one taken, and it usually is, one can | | | | grabbing at every opportunity for advantage and |
| further assume that sooner or later one of these | | | | self-aggrandizement, they've [Congressmen] |
| two subordinates will also complain about | | | | made their world a better place. But is it their |
| overwork thus creating another round of | | | | world, or ours? Has the expansion of work been |
| employment. If you do the math, seven officials | | | | a benefit to you?"Paul Hein Archives, 2004Ted |
| will eventually end up doing the work that one did | | | | Sares, PhD, is a private investor who lives and |
| before. To make matters even worse, the two | | | | writes in the White Mountain area of Northern |
| subordinates may be nepotistic hires who in turn | | | | New Hampshire with his wife Holly and Min Pin |
| may hire other relatives or friends. This is | | | | Jackdog. He writes a weekly column for a local |
| precisely why there are those who are such | | | | newspaper and many of his other pieces are |
| staunch proponents of doing more with less.I | | | | widely published. |