One Source of MASSIVE Inefficiency: Parkinson's Law
We start out with a brief discussion about the mystery of lost files (due to some tech challenges we encountered today).
Today we’re discussing inefficiency–specifically as it relates to the amount of time allocated to a task.
We discuss the art (or the science?) of scheduling in a way that provides just the right amount of time–not too little, not too much.
OVERVIEW OF PARKINSON’S LAW:
Tyler shares about the book in which he discovered a name for one particular source of inefficiency. It’s called Parkinson’s Law, and it can be seen all over the place.
We discuss how this law applies in the world of construction. We discuss the relationship between deadlines and hustle. And then, of course, there’s “fake hustle.”
BACKGROUND OF PARKINSON’S LAW:
We discuss the history behind the term “Parkinson’s Law.” The term was coined by British naval historian and author Cyril Northcote Parkinson. He discusses bureaucratic bloat in the British military and proceeds to name the pattern after himself.
FRED AND THE BUREAUCRACY:
Eddie talks us through a hypothetical scenario of someone creating bureaucratic bloat in order to compensate for either decreased ability or increased laziness. We compare this hypothetical business scenario with the military analysis in Parkinson’s paper.
We acknowledge that a deadline you determined is a deadline you own to a much greater degree. The more you feel like a stakeholder in a deadline, the more motivated you’ll be to establish momentum toward that deadline.
Tyler and Eddie both share about specific instances from our own professional lives where we saw Parkinson’s Law at work. We discuss the causes and the consequences.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEADLINES:
We challenge listeners to contribute some thoughts about setting deadlines effectively. We discuss the massive inefficiencies that can result if deadlines are abandoned and the bloat of Parkinson’s Law begins to affect your project.
OUR MEGAPHONE QUESTION: How, as a person–as a leader, are you helping the industry get better in this regard? How do you properly motivate a group of people to get done the amount of work that’s reasonable for them to get done?
In case you’re interested in more details about Parkinson’s Law:
-BBC article
-Parkinson’s actual paper
Programming Note: We’ll be highlighting some especially interesting past episodes over the next couple weeks as we gear up for some big changes in the podcast. We’re excited!
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