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Just Following Instructions

19 February, 2010 by James Lawther Leave a Comment

Bureaucracy is bad; it is hopeless when people just follow the instructions to the letter.  They can’t help but mess it up.  Think of the last interaction you had with a call centre, chances are it was horrific.

Check-lists are great; it is super when people just follow the instructions to the letter.  They can’t mess it up.  Do you fancy going up in an aeroplane where the pilot hasn’t run through his safety check-list?

A bureaucracy stops your brain thinking about what is important, where as a check-list gives your brain the space to think about what is important.

Interesting dichotomy, where do you draw the line?

Image by Guy Kilroy

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: bureaucracy, checklist, error proofing

About the Author

James Lawther
James Lawther

James Lawther is a middle-aged, middle manager.

To reach this highly elevated position he has worked in numerous industries, from supermarket retailing to tax collecting.  He has had several operational roles, including running the night shift in a frozen pea packing factory and carrying out operational research for a credit card company.

As you can see from his C.V. he has either a wealth of experience or is incapable of holding down a job.  If the latter is true this post isn’t worth a minute of your attention.

Unfortunately, the only way to find out is to read it and decide for yourself.

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