Bureaucracy gone silly
I am never ceased to be amazed at the bureaucracy that stymies many initiatives in the UK.
Coming from the Antipodean Islands of New Zealand, where we have a pretty pragmatic approach to getting ‘things done,’ I just continually shake my head at the ‘red tape,’ that has invaded British culture and pervades so many areas of business.
I read this current article about building railway bridges, and what should have taken a matter of months, is still on-going after 10 years.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zEmVgBQ2Ex9jyrY4uT_5SnaoJJQH9zDd/view?usp=sharing
Yet in the same article, it tells of the British army building a completing a structure within 6 days – end to end.
We know it can be done, yet so many enterprises are bogged down in myriad layers of red tape.
A classic example for me is when I ring say my Dr or my bank. I quite fairly have to go through security processes to ensure it is me, when I ring in. However just recently, I rang my local GP and was able to obtain a cll-back, because they were so busy. About 40 minutes later I received the call from the GP practice and the lady on the phone – (following their processes and protocol), wanted me to go through the security layers to identify myself.
I said to her that ‘you have called me on my number, I have answered, you have said who you are, and I replied that you’re ringing me about the issue I have. She said she could go no further until I had completed security.
I replied to her, ‘How do I know you are from the Dr’s surgery, and not some scam!’ There was absolute silence on the other end of the phone – she didn’t know how to answer.
I then replied, lets get on with the question and answer to which we did. Common sense prevailed.
Now I’m sure many will say, ‘but they need to be so careful in case someone has picked up your phone.’ I can see that logic, until I answer that if I have instigated the call back and then tell them without prompt the reason for the call, then that logic fails.
Bureaucracy is the biggest killer of enterprise and imagination and when people feel justified in their role of preventing progress, then we ned to look at our selves and realise it should not take 10 years to build a railway over-bridge.
I would be interested to know if you agree or disagree with the bureaucratic issues that pervade British society.
