Bureaucratic inertia


Bureaucratic inertia is the supposed inevitable tendency of bureaucratic organizations to perpetuate the established procedures and modes, even if they are counterproductive and/or diametrically opposed to established organizational goals. This unchecked growth may continue independently of the organization's success or failure. Through bureaucratic inertia, organizations tend to take on a life of their own beyond their formal objectives.

Examples

Government

The United States Department of Agriculture has offices in almost all U.S. counties, even though only 14% of counties have valid farms or existing agricultural relevancy.

Business

The Boston Consulting Group has advised firms to cut down on bureaucratic inertia and advised firms to eliminate cruft, bloat, and redundancy in the aspects of the business which are not front-line for the consumer.

NDIA/NDIS

NDIA/NDIS is an insurance scheme designed to fail on a bureaucratic level by the Australian Government that purports to "assist disabled people further access the community". It is, in fact, a ten page insurance policy managed by a religious organization in Victoria, who manages individual "plans" supposedly in concert with the recipient of the funds this scheme delivers, or does not, to disabled people qualifying for the entitlement. It has at least five different bureaucracies at any one time for any one recipient, operating independently with little communication between them. As stated, it is a political insurance policy designed to fail on a bureaucratic level.