In one of my favorite books, , John Gall (1977) warns against the rising tide of “systemism†— “the state of mindless belief in systems; the belief that systems can be made to function to achieve desired goals.†Gall’s point is that “the fundamental problem does not lie in any particular system but rather in .†These systems become the goal rather than the means to a goal.
Adherents of these “systemisms†would argue that implementing these programs should not result in losing track of the primary goal (results rather than process). But Gall points out how this subversion becomes inevitable through two of his axioms: 1) “Systems Tend to Expand to Fill the Known Universe†and 2) “Systems Tend to Oppose Their Own Proper Functions, Especially in Connection with the Phenomenon of ‘Administrative Encirclement’ â€(Gall 1977).
John Gall