Lazarus the Financial Wizard 16

In such an anarchy oriented organization decision making was always on impulse. It meant saying yes or no without any deep analysis. Lazarus took quick decisions within a second. However, the actions often smacked of blunder. The maxim "ignorance is strength" was liberally followed.

Officials were keen to protect their position. All those working below him developed core incompetence. Later that core radiated incompetence driving out competent hands so that no one posed a threat to the boss's existence. A competent man had no place in the organization except as to serve as a conveyor belt or post office.

Shunting out or creating conditions to make one incompetent made one flee. The philosophy of core incompetence drove out a few brilliant officers with bright official record. Lazarus saw that all those working under him were 'yes men' who dared not come up with brilliant ideas. Even if such ideas came up they were stifled in the beginning. Sometimes men like Lazarus claimed authorship and sought reward and recognition mustering support from influential colleagues.

None evinced any sense of urgency in accomplishing tasks. They relegated time to the background greatly respecting the clock.It gave the signal for leaving office. .Disposal of cases took several months. The most useful and effective tool for time study applied was the calendar and not stop watch. Every aspect of administration witnessed delay. For example a broadcasting agency announced a list of audition committee members. This included the name of a person who died a year ago.

Delay was considered as a very effective technique in decision making. Applicants for various benefits under government schemes got disgusted and gave up thereby saving enormous funds for the government. Officials overlooked delays, which even in terms of months did not matter.
Despite good intentions at damage control, parasites outnumbered productive men in the organization headed by Lazarus. Following the recruitment practice, the tribe of Lazarus imbibed his traits and flooded the organization with hundreds of men moving like swarms of locusts eating everything on the way but contributing nothing except some waste material. It gave rise to an administration suffering from elephantiasis. Any one who wanted to clean the Augean stable faced a situation similar to one with thin legs running a three legged race in partnership with a person having elephantiasis on both legs with an imposed condition that he should win.
The philosophy of administration rested on the principle of "how not to do".

The officials never informed the approaching public at one stretch all requirements for compliance. They pointed out deficiencies one after another after a long interval. Each time the customer clarified and returned he was called back to give some other information. This went on indefinitely and the officials in the hierarchy sat like highly decorated owls without taking action on the files even if the complainant fulfilled all requirements.

They perfected the technique of harassing the public and subordinate staff, used harassment as a weapon to postpone decisions and to extract money and gifts on a continuing basis. It was always need based. The only question was whether the need related to the official or the public.
Lazarus had the obsession for rigidly interpreting rules to cause maximum Delay and Harassment to the people. The DH technique was the cornerstone of activities of the organization and a money spinner . Of course, this did not prevent conduct of seminars and conferences. on " How to cut delays". The technique adopted to cut short delays went to fundamentals in approach.Files on which decisions were pending for years were taken up and their life cut short so that the subject never came up again.

The public watched the performance of Lazarus for a span of two years. Though he was designated Financial Wizard, his actions resembled those of a man who had the brain of a Lizard. So many of them sought a change in designation to Financial Lizard.Thus the Wizard in Lazarus became Lizard a subtle change in the first letter of the word. ( Concluded)