Bureaucrat Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged is a book that is close to my heart, and despite what you may think about the philosophy of Ayn Rand (Objectivism), I can't help but identify with the struggle of the book's central protagonists.

Perhaps it was because I read Atlas in my first year in the public service as I battled work-related depression, having left a job at an NHL franchise in the midst of its cup run in order to try my hand in the public sector. The novel depicts American industrialists as the metaphor for Atlas of Greek mythology, holding up the Earth, whom John Galt (the central character of the novel) persuades to "shrug," by refusing to lend their productive genius to the regime any longer.

 (spoiler alert) 

Essentially the story is about John Galt, a man stifled by oppressive bureaucratic functionaries and a culture defined by mediocrity and egalitarianism who leaves his job at a motor company and starts recruiting other prominent industrialists to do the same. The book follows the actions of Dagny Taggart who struggles with the choice to either try to change the system from within or simply walk away and leave it to those who would stay the course and (the implication is) eventually run the ship aground (btw this is the origin of the phrase "Going Galt").

This Atlassian struggle is one that has defined my career thus far, and, should I choose to continue my career in this sector, will invariably define it for the remainder of it. Should I continue to push for change from within the system or simply abandon the effort in its entirety? Everyone I've spoken with has identified the pressing need for deep change in this sector; some have even told me that they think we are approaching the breaking point, making this choice all the more important.

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to liken myself to some sort of public sector equivalent to a Greek god, I'm simply identifying with the immensity of the task facing every agent of change in the public sector right now, and I don't just mean here in Canada but everywhere. Changes in our social fabric brought on by advancements in communications technologies coupled with the immensity of budgetary cuts requires a fundamental rethinking of public services. These are difficult and (to borrow the popular verbiage right now) austere times. Given the circumstances I doubt we can afford oppressive bureaucracies or a mediocre culture.

To wit, I don't think its just me contemplating shrugging right now, its anyone who has banged their head against the wall one too many times.







Originally published by Nick Charney at cpsrenewal.casubscribe/connect

Failure as a Competitive Advantage

Whenever I speak about failure I try to re-position it as a competitive advantage:

What kind of organization would you rather work for? One that tries, fails, learns and tries again? Or one that never tries, never fails, never learns?

I ask the question because I think that these two organizations are on two radically different trajectories in terms of their ability to be innovative. Furthermore, in a hyper connected world my hypothesis is that talented people will self select to organizations that try, fail, learn, and try again, while the less talented will naturally gravitate towards the organizations who don't (i.e. atrophy doesn't require talent).

When was the last time you stopped to ask yourself what type of organization you work for?





Originally published by Nick Charney at cpsrenewal.casubscribe/connect

Public service renewal: the weekly round-up

Fellow govvies,

Here're the must-reads of the week. Stay warm and dry!

Snip snip:

•  Death by a thousand cuts: a compelling argument that a disaster-in-the-making is unfolding across government. 
•  And a more positive analysis to balance things out, the Delta Partners argue for a radical cultural shift.
•  It seems that the saga at DND is continuing … is it just media speculation that DND is facing an exodus of public affairs staff?

Remaking public service culture:

• An out-of-the-ordinary, short read on how and why bureaucracies can amplify psychopathic behaviour
• Got a youth network in your department? New to the public service? Then don’t miss this post on The Rise and Fall of Public Sector Youth Groups
•  Worth checking out: Transport Canada launched the new look for government web sites

This post has been a collaborative effort from Lee-Anne Peluk and Nicholas Charney.You can check out Lee-Anne's blog "In the Shuffle" at www.leeannepeluk.wordpress.com

On Trump Cards and Gatekeepers

Make no mistake our culture is one largely defined by trump cards and gatekeepers. You undoubtedly have run into one or the other, or perhaps more rightly, the latter deploying the former as some sort of delay tactic, tripping you up on whatever you are working on. For the uninitiated, the term trump card can refer to any sort of action, authority, or policy which automatically prevails over all others" (source: wikipedia) whereas a gatekeeper is someone who controls access to something (e.g. funding, approval, the next stage) (source: wikipedia).


Common trump cards

In the government’s technology space, common trump cards include (but aren't limited to) IT security, accessibility, official languages, privacy or access to information laws. I have run into countless gatekeepers during my travails through the public service; people who overemphasize their concerns, reference a policy in some abstract way, and suffocate your line of thinking in its infancy (not even a project, but a line of thinking!).

 At this point in the argument I should probably say that not everyone who occupies a position as a gatekeeper acts strictly as an organizational brakeman. There are good ones out there, ones who will cite concerns, relate them to a specific subsection of the relevant policy document, and either propose an alternative or develop a mitigation strategy (or perhaps even an amendment to the policy!). What follows isn't advice aimed at helping you deal with those types of people, because quite frankly (and you'd probably agree), they are approaching their work the right way. That being said, if you want to move beyond your organization’s brakemen (gatekeepers) you need to be able to push back on them, ask insightful questions, and ask them to cite with precision the points of contention between the legislation, regulation, or policy and the line of thinking you are proposing. 

The reason trump cards are so effective is that we understand them collectively to be a final answer. If you want to undermine their utility you simply have to stop accepting them as a the final resolution to a problem. This takes courage, and can make gatekeepers uneasy because they have grown accustomed to using trump cards as a conversation ender; my challenge to you is to use them as a conversation starter.


But this problem isn't unique to the technology space in government, its emblematic of the entire culture.

This is just a caveat to illustrate the pervasive nature of trump cards and gatekeeping. A few months ago I took a photograph in the lobby of a government building. I was outside the security checkpoint, I didn't photograph anyone, nor did I capture any security equipment. I was immediately approached by security who told me I wasn't allowed to photograph the lobby area, citing that it was against policy. He didn't tell me which one, nor did I ask, but as he approached me (presumably to ask me to erase the photograph) I informed him that I was an employee and showed him my ID badge. He glanced at it quickly, retracted his statement and proceeded back behind the security desk. I was (and still am) completely dumbfounded. What policy was he referring to? What were the specifics? How did it differ because I was an employee?




Originally published by Nick Charney at cpsrenewal.casubscribe/connect

Public service renewal: the weekly round-up

For the week of September 19 - 23, 2011

If you’re involved in public service renewal – or just a curious bystander – here's the run down of stuff you'll want to read and do this week.

To do:

Sign up (as soon as possible!) for an inexpensive (read: $5) opportunity to scheme virtuously and network at: Beyond the Kool-Aid: Open Government? Space is limited and conversation promises to be dynamic. Join experts from Google, other levels of government and Mediastyle to talk Government 2.0; while the ideas have been discussed over and over, for many it feels as if little progress is being made. Where do we go from here?

Join us: Now that school has started we’re gearing up for yet another #w2p mixer, this time with a different twist. Mark your calendars for September 28 where the #w2p community will be mixing it up with the Advanced Leadership Program.

To read:

• The Future of the Federal Workforce: can we apply the cloud model to the PS workforce?

• On cuts: Federal unions launch petition drive to call on Clement to put critical services and the long-term social safety first.

• Junk the jargon, cut the clichés and use plain English – a new tone of voice would help so many public organizations

• The U.S. is having a national dialogue on improving government web sites - and there are loads of fabulous ideas to be found on the site.

Have a great week!

This post has been a collaborative effort from Lee-Anne Peluk and Nicholas Charney.You can check out Lee-Anne's blog "In the Shuffle" at www.leeannepeluk.wordpress.com

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