Activity everywhere not an ounce of productivity

The dictionary meaning of the word ‘Activity’ goes like this – ‘The trait of being active, moving or acting rapidly and energetically’. This very precisely explains what happens in a typical Indian government office.  Activity in government offices is an act with no forward or backward linkages; meaning, a micro plan deliberating on past experiences and planning for future is very rarely part of it. This is work wise.

With respect to work culture, irrespective of outcomes, government officials need ‘some activity’ to show that they are working. Just as the dictionary definition mentions – they will be active and energetic. Sometimes (underestimated!) work is done for the heck of it; to perpetuate the ‘sarkari’ culture of rule bound work; adding a lot to unproductivity. Something which can be decided in a minute’s time, is ‘planned out of proportion’ and may yet times take a few days. Irony is that the officials take pride in it.

Usually the head of the office/department, need people around to feel important; to boss them over, to ‘actively’ give instructions. And the subordinates ‘actively’ try to prove that they have been working on the project and that they have made considerable progress.

O !! At least if this ‘shallow activity’ goes on continuously, everyday, some ‘unintended good consequences’ would have occurred. But the government officials’ brains are tricked into false assumption that they take this ‘shallow activity’ as ‘work itself’. The brain tends to make the officials feel that they have done enough for the day/week/a month (Its all the brains’ fault u see!). The official lunch and tea breaks which unofficially extend to three hours or so is a manifestation of the 'heavy work load'. This will lead to ‘lull in the activity’ until the next trigger might come in the form of a routine meeting or a review meet with higher officials etc. The activity suddenly resumes and everyone get busy again.

We, very well know the consequences of this type of working culture. How do we overcome this and turn routine activity into fruitful one? One way could be to increase the frequency of triggers. But usually triggers come from higher up authorities and there is a whole big chain all the way up to central government. One lazy, irresponsible officer in the chain will render it unproductive. And in a system where everyone knew what the other is upto, what is the incentive to trigger some one to work, which might trigger another chain of events, unintended and uncalled for, which may bring out the true colour of everyone. So the rule is - 'you do what u want, I do what I want, in silence and let's wreck the system'. Few good men and women, take initiatives to give triggers, which set things right in the lower levels. But the frequent transfers make such productive periods very short lived. The ministers at the top, who are assured of five year period (in most cases) should take such steps, but we understand they are busy with hell lot of other things !!

Another way could be directly link the losses in delay or non completion to the salaries and be given as allowances to the people affected. Problem with this is that we have shortage of staff especially at the lower rungs. So, one has to handle multiple responsibilities, which makes it difficult to identify clear cut responsibilities. Adding to this there are different guidelines to different schemes, different ways of getting money and releasing the same to the beneficiaries and other complications.

 In this web of intricacies there are many more tangles, which should be handled one by one to free the system gradually.