When I was in MPA School I had to complete an organizational blueprint for a public entity. Because of my interest in community and economic development, my professor assigned me to a state agency whose mission is to “assist local governments with economic development, community development, growth management and downtown revitalization”.
Even though I was a local government and non-profit junkie with no interest in working for a state government, I was excited about the opportunity because their mission seemed so closely aligned with what I wanted to do. I scheduled time to visit with different layers of the organization’s bureaucracy. I talked to the department and divisions “higher-ups” as well as section chiefs and analysts. I set up one-on-one conversations and gave each person the confidentiality that they needed to tell me their true experience working in their organization using Bolman and Deal’s organizational frames: Structural, Human Resources, Symbolic, and Political frames. (Shout-Out to Org Theory!!)
It didn’t take me long to figure out that the organization was toxic from the top to the bottom. Communication, up down and through the hierarchy was broken. Employees felt that they had been back-stabbed by their bosses—they got blamed for mistakes but never the credit for triumphs. Output was stale. Feelings had been hurt and old resentments had been allowed to fester. Unproductive employees had been moved around rather than fired, and their presence was a drain on everyone else. There was no friendly camaraderie around the water cooler or any activities to make the organization come together to celebrate in a meaningful way. Most employees felt powerless, and came into work every day marking the hours until they could go home each evening.
In spite of these conditions, most employees cared deeply about the mission of the organization and about their individual work. Unfortunately, that didn’t help company morale. Meeting employees in the hallways was quiet and awkward at best and in some cases it was downright hostile and unfriendly.
Over the course of that semester, I learned that the people in that organization will likely stay in their current job (or one very similar), surrounded by people that they do not like or respect for 10, 20, sometimes 30 years. I interviewed people who were counting the years to retirement and were unwilling to even consider finding a job that suited them better. Over and over I heard about the perks of the job. The 401k match, the 2 weeks of vacation time, the flexible schedule, and the promotion schedule were all touted as reasons to stay. I remember thinking to myself that no amount of vacation was worth being miserable for the rest of the year.
Not only would they not consider quitting jobs that they hated, they weren’t even willing to consider ways to make the job better. They were all content to work (unhappily) for an organization, notice and complain about the problems and issues but not ever do ANYTHING that would make the problem go away. They wouldn’t even consult higher levels of the hierarchy about them. It was like they were stuck in purgatory. Or just stuck.
By the end of the assignment I knew that I never, ever wanted to work for a state government and I had a new appreciation for the term bureaucrat.
In my current position, almost 2 years later, I can confirm that my first impression of state government employees is by and large a correct one. As far as I could tell, state government (in any state) is full of bitter bureaucrats.
Bitter bureaucrats: While mostly found at the state level of government, bitter bureaucrats can invade any organization. Bitter bureaucrats can be identified by their constantly frowning faces, and the inability to make eye contact or say a friendly word with their co-workers. Bitter Bureaucrats can usually be found whining and complaining about a process or problem concerning their work flow but refuse to do anything that may alleviate their problem. Beware of Bitter Bureaucrats as they drain the life out of other staff members and organization projects. Bitter Bureaucrats have the incapacity to try new things, create change, or think outside the box or form.
Bitter Bureaucrats are not born. They are made. They get Bitter Bureaucrat Syndrome.
Symptoms of Bitter Bureaucrat Syndrome are: Unproductivity in the workplace, constant taking of “mental health days”, overwhelming feelings of complacency, stagnation, and being in a rut.
You may be at risk for contracting Bitter Bureaucrat Syndrome if: you feel that your boss only gives you negative feedback, the creativity is being beat out of you, you are being asked to conform to a out-dated standard in some way, you are told to do things the way they have always been done, your boss and co-workers have been in their current jobs longer than you’ve been alive, you live in a cube, you are never congratulated for creating a new process or trying a novel concept or if you have 3 or more different company policy manuals in your personal work space.
The fastest and best cure for bitter bureaucrat syndrome in individuals is for the afflicted person to quit the organization that caused the outbreak and find/do work that supports and nurtures in some vital way. Organizationally, the cure for bitter bureaucrat syndrome is to create a new culture. The organization must be purged of complacency, negativity, and conformity and a new culture of creativity and friendliness and open communication must be established.
Pass this along to all those you know who are in danger of becoming a bitter bureaucrat and to those who have been guilty of creating bitter bureaucrats.
