GovernmentExecutive.com

In an Outlook column today, I come to the defense of bureaucracy. The responses are already starting to come in. Here's an intriguing counterpoint from someone who, unlike me, has a lot of experience within the bureaucracy itself (and who asked to remain nameless):

As someone with twenty-one years in federal government...I think you greatly underestimate how ineffective the big government bureaucracies have become. Two traits - looking at the narrow interest of one's turf rather than the larger pictures and making rules so voluminous no speed reader could keep up with them - alone help account for the Katrina response, the failure to share information before 9/11, and the general inability of government to be cost effective these day. For starters, one could look at federal procurement rules, which seem intent to prevent anyone from buying goods and service that are high quality and low cost. Then, one could turn to appointing political managers on political connections and rarely taking into account management competence. And on and on. These are problems that have been most apparent at FEMA, but are very widespread.

If you go back to the 90's, I had the opportunity to observe that the Coast Guard engaged in serious strategic planning and rethought how they were delivering customer service. It paid off. I am delighted to see them get the kudos they richly deserved. Unfortunately, they are not typical. Their effectiveness doesn't blunt the lack of performance elsewhere. It just shows what would be possible if other agencies were as innovative.