Systemic Dysfunction In Our State: Why Do We Accept It?

Nijmegen

I believe that this Irish Times editorial gets it right when talking of a report into the failures of our Social Services in the deaths of two teenagers, David Foley and Tracey Fay. Their deaths were not caused by a lack of concern – several agencies got involved in trying to help them – but the complete dysfunction of their systems in what the report called systemic failures, not isolated ones.

I put forward the notion that our entire state, bar one or two isolated arms (the revenue collectors being a notable exception…), is a dysfunctional, disparate organization where second best is always best, and real management excellence – not just the types we pay to hear about in reports and lip service to in how our organizations are structured – are nearly non-existent.

There is, for several reasons including complacency but also a sense of "can’t-do", a real lack of structure to our state. Things get lost, things are run inefficiently, projects aren’t worked out… And we accept that this is the way it is.

I had a conversation with several public sector mid to senior level managers whom I am acquainted with. Some of them are in a position to make real differences, all are capable of making some differences to their patch. They feel helpless. I suggest the type of management reforms that we need, and they say "We’ve tried," or simply, "It wouldn’t work."

Yet, there are multinational companies with a larger, more disparate workforce than our public service, who are run efficiently. They do have good management controls. They’re not perfect, no organization ever is… But they don’t routinely make a heap of it like our state does.

The sad thing is, we could bring in a thousand and one graduates of GE’s Welch school of management and they wouldn’t be able to make a real difference unless we really, really, really changed our mindset from top to bottom, the clerical workers to the political leaders.

We accept mediocrity and we accept dysfunction in this country, and some pay for it with their lives, others with their misery, and all of us with our wallets. Why, I ask? Why?

conorhal

Because Irish society has at all levels collectively removed the words, shame and accountability from the dictionary.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

ei.sdraob

"We" accept it because more than half of "us" dont directly pay for this train cart to keep running

People get involved in politics when it affects them (negatively of course), what's worse is a lot of people don't realise that they are being affected by certain decisions from "higher up" because they are too busy watching Britain's Got Talent

Dannyboy83

Because the truth is, outside this forum and a few other political forums, the vast majority of people just don't give a sh1t.

goose2005

I suppose there's a lot of mediocre people in the civil service. Didn't David McWilliams find only a handful of people with financial qualifications in the dept of Finance?

T runner

Why does everyone assue that these are peculiarly Irish problems???????

This Public service debate is happening across the whole of Europe.

We should not accept mediocrity sure. Where were all the self righteous bleaters when the children of the countrry were being raped?

Why wasnt the government forced into a position by our population to declare that it would instigate policies where no child would be hurt again under our system.

What do we get instead? Endless bleating and complaining about the Irish Public service somehow relating these problems to the incurable disease of Irishness. Speak for yourselves.

And If you want excellence start with yourselves.

Nijmegen

What do we get instead? Endless bleating and complaining about the Irish Public service somehow relating these problems to the incurable disease of Irishness. Speak for yourselves.

Have you ever seen how Germany works? Or France (for all its charm)?

Everyone has problems, but in Ireland we go a step beyond, along with countries like Greece, in terms of our complete and utter lack of organizational will and ability.

T runner

Nijmegen wrote: »

Have you ever seen how Germany works? Or France (for all its charm)?

Everyone has problems, but in Ireland we go a step beyond, along with countries like Greece, in terms of our complete and utter lack of organizational will and ability.

Yes we are a step beyond France and Germany, two ancient powers with many centuries of statehood between them and a world reputation for efficiency and industry. Germany and France have seen many periods of large growth and recession. This is relatively new territory for us.

Being a step beyong France and Germany is hardly a basis for concluding a "complete and utter lack of organizational will and ability" in Ireland. Exagerating a problem and then whipping the country verbally is not actually a means to solve the problem.

There is plenty of will and plenty of ability but maybe not a means just yet.
Have you got will and ability? Whats your solution. How come you alone are immunised from this "Irish" disease?

Are the Icelanders, the creators of democracy, complete incompetents by your calculations. Worse than the fool Irish surely?

I repeat, the global economic financial system was very nearly brought to its knees by this mess. There were plenty of Anglos out there just not many in a realitively small state like ours.

IrishTonyO

T runner wrote: »

Yes we are a step beyond France and Germany, two ancient powers with many centuries of statehood between them and a world reputation for efficiency and industry. Germany and France have seen many periods of large growth and recession. This is relatively new territory for us.

France has a reputation for efficiency and industry?????

T runner wrote: »

Are the Icelanders, the creators of democracy, complete incompetents by your calculations. Worse than the fool Irish surely?

Since when was Iceland the founder of democracy?

and you should listen to your own advice before using terms like 'fool Irish'.

jmayo

conorhal wrote: »

Because Irish society has at all levels collectively removed the words, shame and accountability from the dictionary.

You forgot RESPONSIBILITY.

Dannyboy83 wrote: »

Because the truth is, outside this forum and a few other political forums, the vast majority of people just don't give a sh1t.

How true.
Some people switch off when you mention politics and come up with the old line about how the news is depressing and boring.
Well long may it last for these people.
Maybe when they wake up that giving a sh** about their nation doesn't mean watching a match on the telly.

We as a nation still have a mindset that we are run by somebody else and that there is the mythical system which it is not only ok to screw, but something to take pride in and get admiration for.
We love the "cute hoors".
Maybe people should think about those same cute hoors the next time they are queueing for the dole, or stuck in a long queue in a hospital.
Maybe then they will wise up with this attitude.

Just think about the insurance scammers TV ads that highlighted how the insurance scammers were robbing us all.

The brits left us 80 odd years ago, we now run the place ourselves for ourselves.
Half the time I think ff reckon they are the rightful heirs of our former colonial masters.

Nijmegen wrote: »

Have you ever seen how Germany works? Or France (for all its charm)?

Everyone has problems, but in Ireland we go a step beyond, along with countries like Greece, in terms of our complete and utter lack of organizational will and ability.

You forgot Scandanavia, Australia, NZ and Canada.

T runner wrote: »

Yes we are a step beyond France and Germany, two ancient powers with many centuries of statehood between them and a world reputation for efficiency and industry. Germany and France have seen many periods of large growth and recession. This is relatively new territory for us.

Being a step beyong France and Germany is hardly a basis for concluding a "complete and utter lack of organizational will and ability" in Ireland. Exagerating a problem and then whipping the country verbally is not actually a means to solve the problem.

There is plenty of will and plenty of ability but maybe not a means just yet.
Have you got will and ability? Whats your solution. How come you alone are immunised from this "Irish" disease?

Are the Icelanders, the creators of democracy, complete incompetents by your calculations. Worse than the fool Irish surely?

I repeat, the global economic financial system was very nearly brought to its knees by this mess. There were plenty of Anglos out there just not many in a realitively small state like ours.

Any more excuses ?
Let me guess it was all Lehman Brothers fault ?
Excusing something, denying the problems exist, sweeping it under the carpet usually means worse trouble long term.
See our record on child abuse and how bad it got before it was finally admitted and acknowledged.

If the Irish people had done something about some of our dodgy politicans 12/15 odd years ago when the corruption of the 70s and 80s was becoming evident we might not be in this mess today.