Monday, January 2, 2006
[1903 - Sally Rand (Helen Beck), dancer, stripper, actress, born in Hickory County, Missouri]
[1920 - Isaac Asimov, writer, born in Petrovichi, Russia]
[1969 - Operation Barrier Reef begins in Mekong Delta, Vietnam]
William's Theory of the Bureaucracy - Part 1
The overriding principle of the bureaucracy is: Distribution of Authority. Bureaucratic Authority is authority that has been sliced up in a microtome, then dispersed and distributed so widely throughout the various layers of the organization that eventually if vanishes completely. The disappearance of authority is useful in two regards. Not only does it make accomplishment of any meaningful result unlikely, but it also obscures accountability for the inevitable failure of purpose.
For the bureaucrat, the world is a mere object to be manipulated by him.
Karl Marx
Poor William's Whimsical Words:
Curse not the bureaucracy when it crushes your foot. It has no idea you are there, it lacks any clue where it is going, and it could not change direction even if it happened to see you.
BACK to Winter 2005 - 2006
to Almanack Main Page