Some think the phrase “high-performance bureaucracy®” is an oxymoron, as bureaucracy is often associated with slow decision-making, high costs and inefficiency. But this doesn’t have to be the case—high-performing bureaucracies do exist, and there are ways for low-functioning bureaucracies to improve their performance, explains Monitor’s Bruce Chew in this pair of podcasts.

Chew outlines examples of high-performing bureaucracies, and explains the characteristics that make these government and public service organizations excel. He also explains that there is not a standard set of techniques and strategies that every bureaucracy can use to improve their performance, as each organization has its own pitfalls and definition of success. There are, however, best practices that can help organizations assess their shortcomings and identify ways to improve their performance.

Bruce Chew is a Partner and Global Thought Leader at Monitor. He is a renowned expert in enhancing the performance of organizations through improving operations and customer value. His articles on these topics have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Brookings Papers and MIT’s Sloan Management Review. Before joining Monitor, Bruce served on the Harvard Business School faculty for eight years, teaching executive and MBA classes on operations management. He holds a PhD in business economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. E-mail him at Bruce_Chew AT Monitor DOT com.