Fuckery: centralized, top-down, tradition

My wife asked me “Why?” yesterday, when I said I was stuck, and that I was coming home late because I needed to un-fuck varying degrees of fuckery. I felt glad that she asked, because earlier I had began jotting notes as to the reasons for fuckery.

Some people call it friction. But by fuckery, I don’t just mean bullshit, I mean shit that has grown past that and that now measures as fucked up.

I’ve broken my reasoning down into three areas: internal causes, external causes, and symptoms. It’s too deep to go into detail for now. I’ll just share some of my notes.

INTERNAL CAUSES OF FUCKERY

Centralization. Too slow. Solution? Decentralize.

Top-down decision-making. Too rigid, inflexible. Solution? Flatten it.

Tradition. Outdated. Solution? Question the purpose.

EXTERNAL CAUSES OF FUCKERY

Uncertainty. Risk. Solution? Increase sophistication.

Resistance. Requirements outmatch our capabilities. Solution? Expand capabilities, present multiple dilemmas, and exploit gaps.

SYMPTOMS OF FUCKERY

Mis-incentives. Deliberate non-productivity, mis-directed productivity, and work blindness. Solution? Clarify purpose and shorten the distance to success.

Externalities. Benefitting at the expense of another, who pays the cost involuntarily; either a known other or an unidentified but existing third person. Solution? Internalize both the cost and benefit to the decision-maker.