The storm Kristin and the extremely rainy days that followed devastated the country, with particular incidence in the districts of Coimbra and Leiria. In this regard, when asked, a person responsible for Defense and Civil Protection rejected that there were flaws in that service. Days later, the Minister of Internal Affairs, who has since resigned, said that the situation was extremely complex and that we all had a lot to learn.
Any attentive reader knows this. What you may not know is that there have been studies on the relationship between the quality (of management processes) and this type of attitudes. When comparing countries, there is a strong negative correlation between the self-sufficiency of those who consider themselves to have nothing to correct, or learn, and good management practices. On the contrary, it is in countries where managers are more (self)critical and consider that there is room for improvement that we find reference management processes and improvement is continuous, thus perpetuating international leadership.
These results are valid for private companies and also for companies and public entities. The difference in cultures is reflected in productivity and GDP per capita: as you have already guessed, as a rule, the richest countries are those in which those who manage are less comfortable, more committed to excelling, not looking for systematic excuses outside the business context.
Presumptuous immobilism tends to be associated with protectionist institutional frameworks, limiting competition, which find a zealous defender in the State, ready to support sectors said to be in difficulty, with no other criteria than trying to keep things as they are.
What is it, okay! Of course, it can always get worse when responsibilities are assigned, in Public Administration, not based on merit, but on club color, partisan pardon. This is not the path to state reform.
If all of this seems familiar to you, it’s because it is… The good sign came from Graça Carvalho who, when she became aware of an extravagant appointment, cut short her path. The exception that proves the rule?
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