We wrote and re-wrote three 5-year plans in the last 3 years I was working in the UK. Huge amounts of wasted effort and time on meetings, discussions, planning and all terrible for morale as the institute slowly went down the tubes.

Working abroad, there were basically no meaningful plans at all. Huge amounts of wasted effort on people doing worthless tasks with no useful end-goal. Mushroom management was the highest ideal, terrible for morale for staff to have no meaningful responsibility or development.

Can’t help think there could be a happy middle ground.

Of course, it hasn’t escaped my notice that my presence might have been the common factor 🙂