One of my beliefs is that all problems can be traced to trouble in feedback. Whether you are overweight, work for a company that is losing customers to competitors or in a society that keeps funding a failing policy, there is very likely an explanation that lies somewhere in the feedback.
Some feedback is easier to respond than others. Instapundit links to classic article from the Financial Times written in 2001 by an editor who recently passed away.
In a crunchy system, the feedback is clear. I often use the military as an example of this. In most cases (especially those where a challenge to sovereignty is made), whether the military wins or loses is evident.
In a soggy system, the feedback is not so clear and that can lead to folks misinterpret and respond incorrectly, or not at all, to feedback. For example, government programs is a soggy system that tends to give more weight to intentions than to results. Even the military, when acting beyond its basic purpose of defense can become soggy.
I would publish some good snippets from the article and link to the article, but after reading the Financial Times toddler-like copyright and sharing policy, I thought I’d first laugh and then take a pass on trying too hard to recommend and source their content.
Our Dinner Table 