Ever known anyone who prepared reports that no one ever read? Or who spent endless hours redoing work to correct errors again and again, yet without anyone dealing with the cause of the errors? If so, you probably heard them express frustration about doing wrong things right.
That epitomises Peter Drucker’s iconic observation, “There is nothing quite so useless, as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all.” [1] Indeed, while his insight was that of an organisational behaviour expert, activities without value are usually self-evident, especially for those wasting time doing them.
Effectiveness vs. Efficiency
In fact, an entire management discipline evolved to address the conundrum of doing the wrong things well. Russell Ackoff, another thought leader in this field went beyond Drucker, saying, “The more efficient you are at doing the wrong thing, the wronger you become. It is much better to do the right thing wronger than the wrong thing righter…” [2]
Consultants often apply the “Effectiveness/Efficiency Matrix” to illustrate this concept. The “win/win” quadrant represents doing things that add the greatest value with the highest efficiency – or “doing the right things the right way.” Whereas doing the right thing (effectiveness) with room to improve (less efficiency) is the second-best quadrant. Notably, the “lose/lose” of doing the wrong thing “wrong” is not considered the worst. Instead, the “deadliest of the quadrants” is to do the wrong thing very well because you are “getting more of what you don’t want.”[3]
Getting More of What You Don’t Want in Anguilla?
The last two elections offer case studies of some of our best and brightest doing wrong things well, despite the will of the people. Whereas when the AUF was last in office, public service processes and procedures led to 61% dissatisfaction across the private sector and public service, while just meeting expectations of about 1 of 3, and exceeding them for just 5% overall. [4] So, the people were paying government ~$215 million in salaries and expenses to do a lot of things no one wanted.[5]
After the 2020 election, we learned some had also been efficiently preparing to do something else no one wanted: to impose GST on a shuttered economy during the pandemic. And after nullifying an election won on a promise not to do it, public consultations and petitions were ignored by the Ministers and the governor. And none had the expertise to manage a $22 million spending gap, which was filled by simply opening the borders before GST began. [5]
Then they hired hundreds more, so government salaries and expenses now exceed $355 million to do more things no one wants! For example, forcing GST into every transaction and household – and threatening businesses with new laws for government control of prices and inventories, slicing deeper into our rights and freedom of commerce. With plans to take $386 million by 2027, that increase will be ~8x the $22 million demanded for GST. Over a million dollars per day, just for salaries and expenses. No, not for the airport, roads or other infrastructure. [5]
So how do we know the government was doing what people didn’t want? The most recent election left little to the imagination, just like that 2019 survey. Will this government require a spending and hiring moratorium to stay in office? If so, how?
Like The Department of Government Efficiency?
We can learn what not to do from the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). When taking its helm, billionaire Elon Musk wielding his chainsaw implied that the entire US government was mired in that deadliest quadrant with $2 trillion (US) of waste.[6] Not quite.
At the end of May, Musk ended his special assignment after cutting countless grants and thousands of federal and related agency jobs, without a plan to continue services that were indeed delivering value. Musk ultimately claimed $140 billion of offsets, just 7% of his initial goal – “although its ‘wall of receipts’ is notorious for containing errors that overestimate its savings.” [6]
In fact, one glaring example detracting from Musk’s vaunted mission was a “…much-derided mandate that required federal employees to send a list of five things that they accomplished each week. The weekly email, which was initially introduced with the threat of being fired for non-compliance, was largely ignored and viewed by many as pointless busywork.” Sound familiar? The Pentagon already abandoned it, and other departments are likely to follow. [6]
Do the Right Things Right in Anguilla…
One obvious flaw in the DOGE disaster was not asking the people doing the work to find time and cost savings to lead a transformation effort. It typically entails doing more right things right. Adopting new technologies for streamlining procedures ? or eliminating them ? and aligning value with roles and responsibilities can drive the “total overhaul of current workflows to achieve substantial improvements in critical aspects such as cost, quality, service, and speed.”[7]
With respect to efficiency and effectiveness, a core tenet is to “enhance the quality and efficiency of their daily operations or services thereby increasing customer satisfaction and employee engagement.” [7] Both metrics could provide strategic direction for restructuring and ensuring value for taxpayers, and crucially, job enrichment and satisfaction for public servants, here in Anguilla.
But with AI domain revenues and tourism at all-time highs, some may ask, why not let government keep taking more and more from the people? The main reasons are natural disasters and global economic shocks like the careening tariff rollercoaster. Reengineering to build reserves can protect us from the humiliation of conditional aid and crushing debt – while repealing taxes and fees.
…And Stop Doing Wrong Things Right!
It is also immoral and unsustainable to expect the same population to continually forfeit tens of millions more of generational wealth year after year for a government to keep doing the wrong things right. Hmm. Just think: What if the British and global banks spent as much time helping us manage spending as they invested in helping to impoverish our people with new and higher taxes like GST?
And, as we heard at the recent press conference, instead of achieving new efficiencies and a greater sense of purpose, incorporating a statutory body into the government has destroyed its morale. It has also put a spotlight on “red tape” and inefficiencies, such as procurement and other time-consuming processes so daunting as to “never be able to improve” under such conditions.[8]
Instead of debating consolidation of statutory bodies into ministries while doing wrong things right, we need to empower those doing the work to do more right things right. By reengineering dysfunctional processes and abandoning unnecessary procedures, all can be efficient and effective. And stop wasting their careers and the wealth of future generations doing things no one wants, like keeping GST, despite welcome relief – because just trying to do it better will always be the wrong thing to do.[8]
Repeal GST – and pass a balanced budget bill. Now.
This article reflects issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. [1]https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/29838-there-is-nothing-quite-so-useless-as-doing-with-great; [2] https://www.azquotes.com/author/36731-Russell_L_Ackoff; [3] https://deming.org/avoid-doing-the-wrong-things-righter-but-by-what-method/; [4] “Anguilla Public Service Survey Provides Roadmap for Continued Improvements” The Anguillian Newspaper, 18 October 2019; [5] GoA Budgets, 2019-2025; [6] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/29/elon-musk-trump-doge-adviser-exit; [7] https://govstrive.com/what-is-business-process-reengineering-goals-methodology-management/; [8] https://www.facebook.com/anguillagovernment/videos/1357777032154089/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v (26 May 2025; GoA Press Conference)
