[toobigtotry]

I've noticed this effect recently - I call it "too big to try."

Once a given institution reaches a certain scale, the apparent limitations on human attention at the top of the hierarchy make it impossible for the organization to contemplate small ventures. Like the parable of Bill Gates finding a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk, it's no longer worth the time to stoop to pick up the small stuff.

(Intuitively, this seems related to the absurd inflation in the cost of public works in the US over the last century.)

[wpietri]

Definitely. To me, it's a symptom of control-oriented organizations, where too much information processing has to take place at the top. As a contrast, support-oriented organizations work to keep most decisions happening lower down.

It's especially frustrating here because the business case here seems pretty simple: go make these developers happy and effective. It's a known audience, they're easy to reach, they're not shy about telling you what they want. I don't think a lot of information needs to get to the top of the hierarchy.

[Apocryphon]

Ironically, Bill Gates is probably not the best billionaire for this parable: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=199...