[sustran] Facing the Harsh Reality of Dysfunctional Organizations
Todd Alexander Litman
litman at vtpi.org
Thu Apr 19 08:11:05 JST 2007
Victoria, British Columbia is considered one of the world's most
livable cities, but it also has problems with public urination
(http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=b3d6a1b2-0f66-4529-8ba7-f9b5ae55f299
), ugly and disorderly development, homeless people crowding
sidewalks, and the perception that government is inefficient due to
multiple, conflicting levels of government and inefficient
institutions. I've worked in developing countries and know how
difficult it often seems, but such conditions also offer the greatest
potential for cost-effective improvement. For example, several very
poor and corrupt cities have implemented BRT systems which include
both physical improvements and reforms that reduce conflicts
(including violence) and corruption within the bus industry - the key
is to find an ownership and payment structure that rewards operators
based on service quality rather than simple volume. I was recently
delighted to hear that South Africa is implementing such a system
(http://itdp.org/STe/ste23/johannesburg.html ) which should
significantly reduce transport problems and improve mobility for
economically disadvantaged people, and we hope will inspire similar
systems in other African countries.
If you only see problems and negative examples you are overlooking
the many, many opportunities and successes. My advice is to approach
these problems with a positive attitude and apply "change management"
techniques (see http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm114.htm ). An excellent
resource is "Sustainable Transportation: A Sourcebook for
Policy-Makers in Developing Countries," by the Sustainable Urban
Transport Project (www.sutp.org), which includes modules on
institutional reforms and enforcement practices, in addition to my
own module on Mobility Management (available in English, Spanish and
Chinese). The, admittedly substantial challenges we face make the
successes even more satisfying!
Best wishes,
-Todd Litman
At 03:33 PM 4/17/2007, Jonathan E. D. Richmond wrote:
>On my flight from Chennai to London today I found myself seated next to
>the vice-president for US operations of one of India's most significant
>companies. A perceptive and sophisticated individual, he provided me
>insight into many realities of Indian business, government, and social
>life. We talked about management and mismanagement -- where things work in
>India, where they fail. He did not mince his words in describing failings,
>and smiled when I told him about the response on this list to my
>truthtelling.
>
>My views about the tragedy of cities of despair such as Chennai are
>unchanged: the place is mostly a dump, as I said, people urinate in the
>street making large areas stink, development is ugly and disorderly, and
>the system of corruption that prevents changetaking place is alive and
>well. The poor sleep out on the streets, their children looking frail
>sprawled out on the pavements at night. What future can these children
>have without the promise of an adequate education or a government with the
>decency to care about them?
>
>So I continue to believe that before a city can plan for itself, it must
>be able to keep its public toilets clean and other basic public services
>running, and it must try to remove at least some of the corruption which
>gets in the way of productive change. Leading Indians are quite convinced
>of this need, and Westerners connected with development must move from
>futile academic thinking to facing the harsh reality of dysfunctional
>organizations filled with dishonest people which are in need of basic
>reforms. So, be unhappy about being told the truth if you like -- but
>understand that hiding distasteful realities helps perpetuate them.
>
> --Jonathan
>
>
>-----
>Jonathan Richmond
>
>1 (617) 395-4360
>
>e-mail: richmond at alum.mit.edu
>http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/
>--------------------------------------------------------
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>================================================================
>SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
>equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing
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Sincerely,
Todd Alexander Litman
Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org)
litman at vtpi.org
Phone & Fax 250-360-1560
1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
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