It still amazes me that businesses will devote valuable time to avoiding solving problems. 

There are, it seems, still roles that encompass the active avoidance of tackling them as part of the modus operandi, usually rationalised (lol) on the basis that ‘it’ll take too long to sort that’. 

And rather that tackle The Thing that’s actually the (usual) root that feeds many other pain-points, the energy is expending in pretending it will go away if we ignore it. Which, and going out on a limb here I think you’ll agree, never, ever works. 

It led me to wondering what kind of a culture is it that can tolerate, endorse or even encourage a passion for not fixing things? 

I’d always assumed that the question to this was easy - that people with roles who’s JD’s appeared to afford them responsibility don’t actually own that role. Because centralised command-and-control organisations will command-and-control; or rather less prosaically, use MAGIC - and thank you Amazing David Harland; Menace, Aggression, Gaslighting, Ignorance and Condescension - to keep things not ticking over nicely. 

But this can’t be the case every time, there’s plenty of organisations out there that seem to getting stuff done by giving staffers the rope they need, so maybe command-and-control organisations actively seek people who thrive on a cocktail of misplaced aims and constantly shifting objectives? 

Ok, sure, it would make for a longer tenure. Kicking the can, elevated to an art by certain politicians, will give you an extra year at least in the chair, with all the benefits that accrues. But it certainly isn’t helping. 

I know tackling systemic problems - ones that stem from dysfunctional business functions and factions - is hard at the best of times and even harder otherwise. And if you work in an agency, where it’s basically what you’re paid to do, when you bump up against this it seems utterly counter-intuitive.

I know no-one’s going to listen to my tuppence-worth, but maybe try Taking Control and Making Commands. Turn the tables. Just a little bit at first. You might be amazed how relieved you’ll make people, even if they don’t admit it. But your agency certainly will.