Shirky Principle

November 10, 2010 at 12:34 am (By Randy)

Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.

–Clay Shirky

4 Comments

  1. Peter Hoh said,

    November 10, 2010 at 12:42 am

    True dat!

  2. Randy said,

    November 10, 2010 at 12:54 am

    ‘fraid so. (I’ve long suspected the same but never seen it so beautifully expressed.)

  3. Theo.Boehm said,

    November 10, 2010 at 6:47 am

    A corollary, often observed in American government, is that programs are designed and funded just well enough to fail.

  4. wj said,

    November 10, 2010 at 10:06 am

    I’ve seen it at work with individuals within institutions, too. A combination of a need to be needed and a fear that, if they solve that one problem, there might not be others to warrant their continued employment (or they just don’t know how to solve any others).

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