When Will Reality Set In?

Like nearly 75% of Americans, I am hopeful that the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be able to tear into the very fabric of the deep state and gut the monster, repatriating billions of dollars back to the American people. 

I would defy anyone to name a government program that is actually effective and that measures outcomes and not just outputs

So far, we have seen the ugly headlines of money going to this or that particular project that seems to have no relevance to advancing the cause of liberty or free markets.

Perhaps DOGE will be effective. I will withhold judgment until real, tangible changes have been made that will force the public administration side of government to be more responsive to the demands of our society.

I’ve done a little research in my time and have come to the conclusion that government is least effective when the heterogeneity of the populous is at its height. No government can know the wants and desires of every constituent. Thus, the default reaction is to craft a one-size-fits-all solution that is eventually wasteful, misapplied, ineffective and of little value in the long run. I would defy anyone to name a government program that is actually effective and that measures outcomes and not just outputs.

In business school we teach the basic principles of organizational success. First, one determines the mission and vision of the organization. Then, one plans on how to achieve the organizational mission. After planning comes organizing the enterprise to achieve the mission. Then, one provides leadership to keep everyone on the same page. Finally, one sets control parameters to check on progress in meeting mission requirements. 

Governments squander resources through gross inefficiency

This is so basic and so fundamental to organizational success that every private enterprise essentially follows this model. Government, on the other hand, gets things out of whack.

Most government enterprises are bureaucratic in nature, thus stifling original thought from the outset. Bureaucracies are hierarchical, which inhibits clear communication up and down the organization or across functionalities. Workers in government specialize and divide labor among individuals. Most operations are routine, so individual decision making is rare, if it occurs at all. 

Finally, bureaucracies document everything and spend a great deal of the workday keeping records. As there is no profit motive in government, individuals become more like automatons than creative, constructive individuals advancing the organization toward “success.” Governments organize, then plan, dooming any chance of moving the enterprise forward. Governments then squander resources through gross inefficiency. This happens everyday in America.

One must be hopeful that those who are in charge of DOGE are smart enough to apply sound business practices to right sizing our government. A cynical individual might see DOGE as a circus act that fades in memory as soon as the circus is over. The parade down the mall is impressive, for sure, but color me cynical.