SEB Bulletin March 2005 - Rat Bag
It was the start of a New Year and a new term and Dr Workhard had spent part of the Christmas break thinking about what innovations he could introduce to the Department to show he would not follow the autocratic ways of Jim Peerless, his predecessor as Head of Department. After much reflection, he decided he would act on his deep and long-held conviction that academics should not be afraid to run their affairs openly by sharing information, discussing ideas in depth, and reaching decisions through a full consideration of all options. This would certainly be new! Peerless had possessed an unshakeable faith in his own abilities and had allowed no questioning of his decisions. Workhard felt sure his colleagues would appreciate a system of Open Government that treated them as an intelligent, thoughtful and motivated workforce.
So far he had made small but significant changes to the way information flowed and decisions were made but was now about to embark on his big experiment: an Away Day for all of the academic staff a t which they would discuss opportunities and future directions for the Department. He had booked everyone into a good but isolated hotel where they could work intensively, bond with each other in the bar, but not escape. He had even discovered he had control of a long-forgotten fund that had to be used for “the entertainment of members of the Department” and was using it to pay for the whole thing, including all drinks.
The first day was to be used to deal with routine matters such as how to increase grant income, cut expenditure and improve undergraduate teaching; important topics but not inspiring. The second day was set aside for what Workhard saw as the main purpose: brainstorming on radical changes such as reorganising research into new interdisciplinary “supergroups” (Workhard had read they were the future); forming an exclusive partnership agreement with a large multinational; and the pros and cons of abolishing the Department's weekly Happy Hour.
By the end of day one Workhard was well-pleased (to use the language of his graduate students). Everyone had joined in the discussions and some really good ideas had been proposed. He felt he had discovered the way to get his colleagues to overcome their enmity for each other and contribute to a joint view of the Department's future. His belief that Open Government could work in an academic environment was vindicated. That night he enjoyed the dinner and felt he was really developing a rapport with all of the staff, even if he did feel rejected when they all retired to the bar without inviting him.
The next morning Workhard was rather surprised that he was the only one at breakfast just half an hour before the start of the day's first session but assumed everyone else must have come early and were now busy reading their e-mails. However, he was more alarmed when he was still alone in the conference room 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. Over the next half hour everyone appeared but were looking pale and sickly and made repeated forays to the coffee machine. It soon emerged that they had all stayed in the bar until 3 am and had overspent the bar budget by £500. No-one had any energy and the rest of the morning session was very disappointing with no grand ideas forthcoming. The afternoon was even worse. Half the staff didn't turn up and the rest were still feeling the worse for wear. Nothing was achieved and Workhard finished the day feeling very depressed and let down .
That evening was devoted to a dinner at which he had intended to get final agreement on the plans they were supposed to have hatched before returning to the Department the next day. Instead, Workhard decided to ask how everyone had found the experience. To his surprise, there was general agreement that it had been a success. They all felt they had got to know each other better and they were very appreciative that it hadn't cost them a penny. Furthermore, they were unanimous that Workhard should behave more like Jim Peerless and come up with the plans for the future himself rather than trying to get them to think of things. There appeared to be no general support for Workhard's version of Open Government except they all said they would like an Away Day every year. But could they bring their partners next year, stay at a hotel with a golf course, and perhaps go abroad?