There are countries where nothing gets too personal in the areas that matter the most to its citizens. I don’t know about you, but I like that. I like it when you do not Have to get along with others on a personal level to get what you are entitled to within the community.
One does not have to be a good friend of the doctor to get proper treatment in the hospital, the school-master will try to organize and educate all kids fairly regardless if he/she knows the parents, and a politician will exchange ideas and attempt to form solutions with political allies And opponents alike, without too much friction.
This small miracle is only possible because such countries constructed Systems and put them in the right places, decentralizing daily decision-making from individual department-leaders, or (even worse) a single overall Leader.
Such efficient systems can be useful both defensively, and offensively. As a maintenance mechanism, they can perform tasks with minimum effort, in a short time, low cost, and with surprising accuracy. And when in the offense, in ‘creation’ or ‘production’ mode, they can seem unstoppable.
In a highly competitive world with conflicting interests, (as the one we live in today), any ‘opponent’ of such a governance model, hoping to outsmart, defeat, or even compete with any department and its leader (manager), is left hopeless. Because there is no leader.
Rather, it is a system, served and serviced by experts. To compete with it, one must deconstruct it, study it, understand it, and create something improved or outright better. Not a small task… but if it happens, it will be ‘progress’ for everyone through the principle of competition.
The only problem with systems is that they need updates. And for that, we need experts across generations, with top-notch training and innate understanding of such intricate mechanisms, their historic value, their possible relevance to Today, as well as their prospects. Tradition and innovation, in constant ‘update’ mode.
Otherwise, every time something breaks, a randomly positioned worker (or executive) has to unearth the ‘manual’, follow the instructions, and hope for the best by fulfilling his/her duty. And when the instruction manual was written decades ago, and the system built even before that, small issues become huge problems by multiplying layers of deficiencies.
A negative domino effect can, and most probably will occur, leaving the manager hopeless as he/she tries to delay the collapse by reading the playbook again and again in vain.
What a way to lead… Should we opt for Chaos then? Of course not. Brand new and constantly updated systems should address the everchanging demands, and take over those small but significant tasks. And for that, we need updated schools training future experts, so that updated leaders can emerge.