[oofnik]

> We create systems designed to drain the jobs of bureaucrats, especially low-level bureaucrats, of any opportunity to exercise judgment. When things go wrong, we find new ways to constrain, and we make the hierarchy more and more rigid.

This is the crux of the article, and it is an excellent point.

I believe that there is a fundamental difference between a being a rule-follower and being a judgment-exerciser. Situational awareness can provide clues as to what mode of operation is appropriate. However, choosing a mode of operation is itself an exercise in judgment.

If you design a rule-based system, and hire people based exclusively on their ability to follow and enforce rules, you should not be surprised when that system selects for the kind of people who copy job postings verbatim into their resumes and proclaims them to be "most qualified".