I stumbled across the Iron Law of Bureaucracy today. In part, it states there are two types of folks in a bureaucracy. People who serve the organizational goals and others who serve the bureaucracy itself. I've certainly seen those qualities and loyalties in different people.
But here's the thing, I don't buy it. The over-clever simplicity of dually exclusive absolutes in this "law" doesn't allow for the shades of gray that most often exist in the real world. It doesn't allow for organizations where the people primarily executing on the mission keep the others in check. It implies that people looking out for the welfare of others is bad in a way that brings Ayn Rand to mind. Worst, it most certainly doesn't take in to account that one person can embody both motives simultaneously. It reminds me of "Balonium" the massless, frictionless element they use to teach physics in high school.
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