The bureaucracy must die

I made an innocent comment to a coworker on Wednesday. This guy was basically in my position several years ago. He was a senior laboratory scientist who handled various issues with samples and methods. It was a role similar to mine, with one very big difference. I'll get to that difference in a moment. I asked him if he ever misses the lab. I was surprised by the emotion of his response. His heart was in the lab, but he didn't see himself going anywhere if he stayed in a purely technical role. Quality had more vertical potential so that's the direction he's taken his career.

I could never follow his path. My dissatisfaction at work rises in direct proportion to the amount of bureaucracy I have to deal with in a given period. The more I'm forced to work through a problem according to the obsolete rules and regulations of the organization, the greater my dissatisfaction. The quality group is a bureaucratic enforcer. It's their job to make sure that the rules are followed and all actions comply with various operating procedures. I never had the chance to work with this guy when he was in the lab, but I get the impression that he was very much of a quality type of mindset when he was in the lab. Follow the rules, run the procedure, comply, and crank through samples were his ideals for the analytical lab.

That's where we're different. He's very much an adherent to the bureaucracy. His views his job as making sure the procedures are performed as written in the most efficient way possible. Even his description of how he ended up in his current position spoke to his unquestioning faith in the established structure of the organization. He looked at the jobs that were available and picked the path that offered the best opportunity. He sacrificed whatever passion he had for science to the pursuit of greater bureaucratic control.

I seek to exploit gaps in the bureaucracy to give me greater opportunity to do science. My challenge is finding a way to do this that fits into the general scheme and mission of the organization. The needs of the organization must be met, but there are ways to go outside of the rules while adhering to their general guidelines. Rather than finding ways to demonstrate my mastery of the organization's control structure, my attention is focused on demonstrating ways to improve how we achieve organizational objectives. I seek to understand the origin of my lab's rules and regulations so I can plant the seeds of revolution.

What I long assumed were quirks of my organization are actually present in every pharma company. We're risk averse because the small chance that something bad might happen would lead to disastrous consequences. We're hyper-sensitive to project failures because mistakes are far more powerful come evaluation time than successes in an organization that offers little opportunity to exceed expectations. These insights are critical to figuring out how to get people to leave behind their old ways. My coworker sought the best established path. I'm looking to create an entirely new role. This will require more than mere technical knowledge. I need to be an expert in the bureaucracy so I can destroy it.