One of the joys of working in government is the plethora of committees and meetings 🙂 But now even the private sector seems to be catching up on that.
Like entropy, the number of committees (and their meetings) only goes up. Here is why.
In government, whenever there is a problem to which you don’t have a solution, you form a committee. There are committees for every topic under the sun – from catching stray dogs to handling China’s aggression.
The next fun fact – anybody can form a committee, be a senior official, the government, or even the courts. So adding a committee is a zero cost option.
But once a committee is formed – it is rarely ever disbanded. Just like entropy, to get rid of committees, it takes energy — you have to apply your mind, take a decision, and risk blame if something goes wrong later. So why not let the committee continue?
While the private sector has less of this dysfunctionality, it is not absent.
This is not to suggest that committees are evil or always unnecessary. They can be effective means of collaboration and decision-making but ONLY if done thoughtfully, not to cover your back.
A lot of inefficiencies in our workplace come from processes that are an artifact of past decisions. The danger is that over time, they become like old home furniture — you get used to them and nobody questions them.
If we want to make things better, there is only one way — question everything, including meetings and committees. Get rid of things aggressively.
We need minimalism even in our workplaces.
– Rajan