If you cannot fathom what i am describing, i would suggest you to visit a place witnessing superhot economic growth but is saddled by a creaky dysfunctional bureaucracy. In short, visit India, better yet come to Bangalore!

I saw a similar thing where I once worked. For several weeks there had been warnings, until one day things just started falling over – The Conficker virus had hit.

Parts of the network and VIOP started misbehaving seriously, and the network rapidly cluttered with data overload. The immediate reaction was “How bad can this be?” and “Lets see if it gets worse?” It got worse. I was one who rolled up my sleeves and dived in, trying to find infected machines and switch them off/get them off the network. After a while I decided to leave it to the experts (after all, I’m no PC user, I use a Mac – and guess why?). In came the expensive consultants, meetings abounded, blame was pitched – but the issue was not being dealt with.

“Create a Crisis” had happened, a scapegoat found and lots of untested answers abounded. But the hero piece was an unknown.

In the end I did some quiet research (on my Mac, which was unaffected of course). I looked – for the first time, at the issue, considered to options, looked for expertise. I eventually found the Conficker Working Group. The first advice – use pictures (its their test) to check the variant of Conficker.

No one thought the Mac man would find the solution……indeed, initially I had a hell of a job getting anyone to listen …… so I took a couple of reasonable people aside and looked at the suggestions.

It actually worked – and the rest is – history

Moral = When you have a Crisis, don’t waste time spinning out blame and looking in the places you have always looked. Look at how people tackle things. The answers do not always come from the most obvious direction.

Had an experience last night that I thought was relevant to your thinking.

I left Elgin on the 17.58 train to Aberdeen. Was due into Aberdeen at 19.32. We stopped a couple of times, not at stations, and I began to wonder if we were running late.

I checked with the conductor/guard who confirmed that we were running around 10 mins late.

I was due to catch the 19.46 to Glasgow and I told him this. He advised me to go to the front of the train, go straight up the stairs and it would be on Platform 3 or 4, I would need to hurry.

We arrived in at 19.43. I rushed to the stairs, along with several guys who had got on at Dyce, I suspect just coming off the rigs. As we got to the top of the stairs the 19.46 to Glasgow pulled away from the platform.

We had an hour to wait for the next train. When the conductor came along on the 20.42 train I asked why they wouldn’t wait for the incoming train. She told me that they would be fined if they didn’t depart on time.

So effectively, screw the travellers, we achieved our targets.

Another example of what you’re preaching against, thought you might like to go and work with Scotrail?

Cheers Eileen