[lemoid]

https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm

I remember reading this first time in early twenties - it was mindblowing. After several years I can say that many things I’ve expierenced, noticed and learned are mentioned somewhere along these lines.

‚One must permit his people the freedom to seek added work and greater responsibility. In my organization, there are no formal job descriptions or organizational charts. Responsibilities are defined in a general way, so that people are not circumscribed. All are permitted to do as they think best and to go to anyone and anywhere for help. Each person then is limited only by his own ability.’

[calderarrow]

This is my absolute favorite essay of all time. I actually have it set to my default tab whenever I open a web browser, because I try to make sure I read it as often as I can.

> To complaints of a job poorly done, one often hears the excuse, “I am not responsible.” I believe that is literally correct. The man who takes such a stand in fact is not responsible; he is irresponsible. While he may not be legally liable, or the work may not have been specifically assigned to him, no one involved in a job can divest himself of responsibility for its successful completion.

[hrnnnnnn]

Working link: https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm

[lemoid]

Edited, thanks

[sethammons]

> Unless the individual truly responsible can be identified when something goes wrong, no one has really been responsible. With the advent of modern management theories it is becoming common for organizations to deal with problems in a collective manner, by dividing programs into subprograms, with no one left responsible for the entire effort.

I was quite literally thinking about this exact problem at my organization last week. This quote is older than I am.