The No Tool Zone

John Seddon a long-time critic of Deliverology will be addressing the subject in the State of California tomorrow.  He will speaking to the California Faculty Association (CFA). 

Sir Michael Barber the inventor of Deliverology under the Tony Blair regime has managed  to slip across the Atlantic and introduce a bad idea to the US.  “Mr. Targets” is his nickname and his narrow-minded approach has proven to be short-sighted.  Education systems across the US are now flocking to this approach without discerning the facts.

Deliverology is a repackaged MBO (Management By Objectives) program.  We set out goals with arbitrary numerical targets where the aim becomes to achieve the target and not improve the education system. 

In California such goals have been set to increase graduation rates by 8%.  So why 8%?  What is wrong with 7%? Or how about a stretch goal of say 16%?  This is all incredibly bad thinking on the part of California State Trustees.  A goal without a method is a wish.

What the Trustees are missing is the fact that everyone focuses their efforts to achieve the number.  This leads to poor quality and considerable waste in money.  But proponents wrongly point to achievement of the target.  This leads to building a poor education system.

What California and other US States need to understand is that Deliverology is here and that there is a reason that Barber has shown up in the US . . . it wasn’t working in the UK.  Disturbing that we continue to follow bad theory and make a mess of things here in the US.

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Tripp Babbitt is a speaker, blogger and consultant to service industry (private and public).  His organization helps executives find a better way to make the work work.  Download free from www.newsystemsthinking.com “Understanding Your Organization as a System” and gain knowledge of systems thinking or contact us about our intervention services at info@newsystemsthinking.com.  Reach him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TriBabbitt or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/trippbabbitt.