William A. Shurcliff Discovers Parkinson's Principle Of Pyramiding Pride

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They order all of their department heads to cooperate fully. Each department head enlists the aid of his best engineers. Each engineer tries to design the very best equipment.

The public relations director calls a press conference and explains that the company is about to score the long-needed breakthrough in solar heating, is about to Lead the Way out of the energy crisis.

Hearing this, the engineers redouble their efforts to devise the very best equipment, so that everyone will agree that the Government has gotten its money's worth . . . National Science Foundation officials will be wreathed in smiles, the technical journals will publish salvos of praise, and the company stockholders will cherish feelings of real reverence for their company.

The project is completed on schedule. The result is a technological masterpiece! A joy to behold! It is praised by everyone: Government officials, company heads, press, and public. (The user soon finds the equipment to be too complicated and costly to maintain, and—quietly, shamefully—he abandons it.)

I was shocked. "This can't be true", I pleaded, "Surely the corporation heads are intelligent. They know the meanings of the words reliable and cheap?"

"But they have no choice!", Parkinson replied. "Surely you remember the Central Africa writing-machine competition?"

I did not, and he explained:

Fifteen years ago the United Nations awarded identical contracts to two corporations: Trans-World-Products, and the Sam Botts Co. Each was given $ 1,000, 000 and told to design a writing machine that would be truly suited to African countries: the device was to be capable of writing in small letters or large, in English, French, German, or Swahili. It, was to withstand tropical dampness and floods.

The Trans-World-Products engineers went to work with a will. They used up all the money and time allowed. They produced a 200-lb. stainless-steel machine, housed in a fiberglass container which included a rechargeable battery, a 5-year desiccant cartridge, flotation gear, and a 100-page maintenance manual written in twelve languages. Although the first model cost over $100,000 to build, later units could be mass-produced, it was claimed, for only $1,500. The device was a marvel to behold, and the world was lavish with its praise. The president of the company was given a 15% salary increase, the department heads were given bigger office& Even the stockholders in the company felt ennobled by being involved in such a successful and altruistic project. TWP's final report (in four volumes, and weighing 8 lbs.) is available in all major libraries.

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