BASICS OF BUREAUCRACY

([Everett Estes Ford] has spent many years working both sides of the scientific street in research and administration. During this time he has uncovered 10 fundamental rules for dealing with bureaucrats that make life more acceptable for the bureaucrat and more successful for the worker. He first revealed these "basics of bureaucracy" to a class in New Project Leader Training in 1982 in Reston, after returning to research following a five-year tour as Chief of the Branch of Isotope Geology. Once again a bureaucrat serving as Assistant Chief Geologist for the Eastern Region, he has been heard muttering, "They still haven't caught on." So [Everett’s] Basics of Bureaucracy are repeated here for your reading enjoyment and edification.)

When you must deal with bureaucrats, there are certain principles to keep in mind. Remember you presumably want to win something. If you violate the principles, you may still succeed in winning, but bureaucrats are skilled in making such a success protracted and unpleasant.

1. Don't raise the negative instincts of a bureaucrat.

Presumably you are dealing with the bureaucrat because you want some sort of action. All bureaucrats instinctively known that sins of omission may get your wrist slapped, but sins of commission can get you in jail. So bureaucrats don't like action. Being a positive manager is exhausting, and it is much easier to say no. Don't raise this natural inclination. Be positive in your proposed action.

2. Don't make a bureaucrat think.

Bureaucrats spend most of their time putting out fires and don't have time to think. It is nice to give the bureaucrat options but be sure to say which one you want and why mostly benefits will accrue if it is adopted. Again, you be positive.

3. Make the bureaucrat functional.

Most bureaucrats harbor secret worries that they are a part of the problem rather than helping with the solution. Remember that for every rule that says we can't do something, there is another that says we can and, probably, should do it. The bureaucrat is the key to unlocking the bottleneck. Give the person a positive, functional course to follow.

4. Never surprise a bureaucrat.

If there is anything a bureaucrat likes, it is to appear well informed. There is nothing bureaucrats hate more than to appear at a meeting thinking they are well informed only to learn of a new direction, option, or tangent to be considered. This goes 10-fold if the bureaucrat is unexpectedly informed at the meeting that he or she is in deep yogurt. Be predictable.

5. Making a decision is one thing; implementing a decision is another.

One of the things that really wears bureaucrats out is, after going through the agonizing and hazardous process of making a decision, to have the matter come up again ... and again-and again. The first thing you know they begin to act the parent or even child instead of the adult. The older you get, the more you realize the importance of trust. If you trust someone, you don't worry about how smart, industrious, talented, or knowledgeable that someone is. You figure they can handle it or muddle through somehow. If you don't trust someone, you always wonder whether that person can or will do a job, whether they know enough, etc., no matter how smart, industrious, talented, or knowledgeable they are. Once you agree to a course of action, stick to it. To be dependable is golden.

6. Let the bureaucrat take credit.

Blanton Collier once said, "You can accomplish a lot in this life if you don't care who gets the credit." With that approach, the Cleveland Browns professional football team went from fifth place the year before to almost winning their division title in Collier's first year as coach.

7. Keep it simple.

Try to accomplish one goal at a time. A "square law" is operating. It isn't just twice as hard to accomplish two goals at once; it is four times as hard. Some-times the apparently slow way of accomplishing one goal at a time is actually the fast way. There is nothing a bureaucrat likes better than a complete plan. Try not to get sucked into this myth of achieving a complete plan. Complete plans almost never are developed because there is always a weak point. If they ever are finished, they usually are obsolete by the time of adoption. As C. Northcote Parkinson once said, "The buildings for the League of Nations were finished in 1938. And so was the League of Nations." Emphasize consequences of no decision.

8. Ask a question with a clear request for response.

Everyone knows bureaucrats hate to respond and live in "black holes" where memos come in but nothing goes out. An amazing number of incoming memos never really ask for a response. You will in-crease your chances of a response if you ask a question, an obvious question complete with question mark. Make it simple and declarative. If you just say you need "some" action by a certain date, it is not clear you want a response. Some organizations even demand that all letters and memos that ask questions receive some sort of response.

9. Follow Up

Every bureaucrat receives more requests that require action than can be handled. In management training, bureaucrats are taught to have a low priority file of things they aren't really keen on doing. After a reasonable period of time, you should follow up on your request. It is particularly effective if you can offer some way you can help move things along.

10. Patience Is A Virtue In The Civil Service

In a country like the U.S., there are always opportunities for change. This is particularly true in the Geologic Division where bureaucrats change on a three- to-five-year basis. If once you fail, refine your arguments, wait a while, and try again. As my mother used to say, "There are no problems, only challenges and opportunities for growth."

(Reprinted From The Cross Section, U.S.G.S., Geologic Division, v. 16, July 1982)