Let's Be Less Productive?

 NYT article (5/27/12)  Tim  Jackson, a professor/author  from Farnham, England, offers a counter-intuitive idea for helping the global economy.  Zeroing in on the 'caring' professions of medicine, social work and education, he decries efficiency programs that get us further away from patient and student-centered interactions.

I once inherited responsibility for a "Productivity Services" unit in a large insurance company.  Yes, they used stop watches to identify wasteful steps.  While we can all benefit from taking a fresh look at ingrained habits (think closet organizing), we may just replace one set of "rules" for another.  John Gardner famously said 'bureaucracies become prisoners of their own procedures.' To what end ... what happens to critical and creative thinking?

Jackson asks 'would having the NY Philharmonic play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony faster and faster each year' be a good thing?  Same goes for heavier patient workloads and larger class sizes.  He also talks about the decline of appreciation for craftsmanship.  Coming from a plumbing family, and having taught continuing ed to plumbing business owners, I worry that when the current trade 'masters' retire, we will all pay more, for lower quality services. 

Jackson makes a reasoned case for decreasing the production game, investing in skills and training, and moving closer to 'an economy of care, craft and culture.'  Want to hear more?  He has authored a book, Prosperity Without Growth:  Economics for a Finite Planet.