Just a couple of days ago, I was sitting with a State Department (S/CRS) Planner discussing some new approaches they are considering/trying to find money to field. These included modular planning teams, HN Gov/t embeds, and PRT like organizations for the "long haul". All interesting but not relevant, what was relevant was an approach to the planning process that they intend to employ...

one in which no one (but the plan) is in charge and that it will be a self-adjusting mechanism amongst a team of peers (I think I got that mostly right). Well you can imagine my head spinning (think Linda Blair), as I struggled to keep a straight face and open mind. Well can't say that at that moment either I or my uniformed partners were able to wrap our minds around that little State Department "pearl".

But as I considered it further.... So long as the plan wasn't botched from the beginning (not perfect just good), then this might actually be a stroke of brilliance. The State Department contribution is by nature long-term (10-40 years). Their plan more than any other could use a little built-in bureaucratic non-sense to keep them from chasing their tail with every change in the wind direction. Having an engineered impediment to deviations is not only OK, but desired.

Now I'd sure like to see one of those good enough, self-syncronizing plans! Never quite crossed that threshold except in a game of monopoly.

Live well and row...