Friday, October 15, 2021
Edmund Berkeley on Parkinson
From an article in Computers and Automation, Sept 73, p 6 of the PDF.
He's discussing Establishments in the broadest sense.
From my study of and experience with establishments, I believe the following natural laws apply: • Because an establishment develops to perform a function, usually at the outset it performs the function very well, and so it derives a great deal of its strength from its belief in the "obvious" importance and worthwhileness of its function. • As an establishment ages over the years, it tends to become more and more blind and bureaucratic in its behavior. • An establishment develops fashions, fads, and mythology such as the "national security" blanket; the "peace with honor" hoax; etc. • An establishment will not willingly tolerate truth that puts it in an unfavorable light. • An establishment is a kind of system, and therefore should be made subject to all the laws for the proper functioning of systems, INCLUDING FEEDBACK CONTROL. In other words, for nearly all the years that an establishment is in existence, the correction and modification of that establishment by applying truth to it is vitally necessary. Here is another reason why those persons who are now ca!led "computer professionals" need to concern themselves with truth, in great variety and on many levels. Information processing is really important only if you are dealing with the truth.Unfortunately it didn't happen. The total transition from analog to digital removed feedback from the technical understanding of the profession. Share Value removed feedback from the economic side of the business. Epstein removed facts and truth. The economic end would probably be easiest to fix, by restoring profit to business and restoring the profit MOTIVE to establishments and governments. Ideally an establishment should gain money by SOLVING problems, not by UNSOLVING problems. I've been discussing this fix in the Trinity House theme.
Labels: Parkinson, Trinity House
¶ 11:43 PM
