Confusion over the roles!

I have seen this happening several times before during my long career. in many organizations the administration and/or accounts departments have this wrong notion that they hold power over the main service providers. For example in a software development organization the administration would try and make the software developers run around for small little things. The software engineers needing a writing pad may have to go back and forth to the minion holding charge of the stock of pads. As this person feels power in controlling and giving away this pad he would exercise his authority by turning away the seeker of the pad couple of times. He will say how this time was inconvenient for him and the requester must come back at a more opportune time.

Unfortunately many a times the overall manager also does not understand what should really happen and encourage this bureaucracy. The basis is simple, the administration and/or accountancy departments exist for facilitating the work of the service providers, the real generators of revenue for the organization. These support functions are then service providers to the business generators/fulfillment people!

Saw this example come up once again! In this educational institute there is a system of signing the salary register by all the employees.So the faculty and other employees must go over and find the convenient time for the particular clerk or the accountant and get hold of the register and sign it. Problem is quite often some slots are signed many a times. So, suddenly there was this office order that they must be signed or else! The "or else" was that the current salary would be stopped. Then the affected person will have do a "prayer" to get the salary. A prayer for his legitimate dues!

Simple issue is what are we trying to save with the process! The time of a clerk or an accountant or the confidentiality of the financial data of who gets what! Looked like that was not an issue.Then why could not the register be circulated to the people for signing! Saving everybody's time, in fact! By making multiple other people come round multiple times there is a lot of wasted time and chaos in the support division anyway!