Shuffling staff

Harper's unique approach to staffing ministers' office is taking another interesting twist, so reports the Hill Times.


Apparently, PMO is now considering not simply shuffling ministers, but staff as well. And some of the staff are unhappy about this.


Looking back, I am not entirely certain how I might have reacted to that. On the one hand, even exempt staff are paid by the CRF, but on the other, not everyone reports or is accountable to the Prime Minister.


It's this notion of 'report' and 'accounability' that are fundamental. In simple terms, executives in any organisation delegate hiring (and firing) to managers. It means staff report to managers and managers report to executives. It saves the executive from getting stuck in day-to-day issues, and allows them to focus on the strategic vision and execution.

I am not certain the new model in Canada new government is such a good idea. While I am certain it appeals to the control monkeys who currently swing from the branches in the Langevin Building, it is a recipe for short term blame for longterm pain.

The pain will come from a number of sources. First, their own cabinet.

Imagine a job where everything you did had the potential to wind up in the news, in front of your friends and your family. And imagine that in your last job, you had likely been quite successful. And imagine to get that job, you had to get through a 36 day job interview with 40,000 shareholders who retain the right to fire you in public every few years.

Next, imagine for this big job, the first thing they tell you is that you don't get to hire anyone who will work for you, support you and protect you. In fact, you staff will owe their own loyalty to your boss, not you.

Would you leave whatever successful career you had to take that job? Would you have any faith in the people on your staff?

The second bit of pain will come from staff. Already, the Tories have had trouble filling positions as anyone with a career is concerned about post-employment restricitictions.

Those who are already there know that after politics, the crime of running a hot dog stand outside a government buiding would result in 300 hundred years of hard labour unde the Federal Accountability Act; now they aren't sure who they work for...

If I were in the Harper PMO, I might focus on morale... and when I did, I might try using a feather instead of a whip.