Steering committee: Difference between revisions

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We do not find it remarkable that, in a century and a half of automotive technology, the drafters of the Highway Code have never found the space to sanction the operation of a vehicle by consensus. A car is more likely - these days, ''far'' more likely - effectively to drive itself than been driven by a committee. A committee will steer it into the nearest wall. Only the physical difficulty of travelling in two directions at once prevents a committee steering into ''every'' wall.
{{a|people|[[File:Steerco.gif|450px|thumb|center|A steering committee, yesterday.]]}}{{d|Steering committee|/ˈstɪərɪŋ/ /kəˈmɪti/|n|}}


Yet  thousands upon thousands of well-intentioned employees spend their lives on, subject to or being vigorously propelled about the confines of their employer's premises like tiny passengers in a deflating balloon, pummelled at every random turn by obtacle, intransigence and sheer bloody-minded stupidity, at the “direction” of a [[steering committee]]. Usually several.
We do not find it remarkable that, in a century and a half of automotive technology, the drafters of the Highway Code have never once found the space to sanction the operation of a motor-vehicle by consensus. A car is more likely — these days, ''far'' more likely — effectively to drive itself than it is to be driven by a committee.  


A committee will steer it into the nearest wall. Indeed, only the physical impossibility of the same unitary object travelling in two directions at once would prevent a committee steering into ''every'' wall.


{{seealso}}
These are truths we hold to be self-evident.
*[[ouija board]]  
 
{{dramatis personae}}
Yet — every day, in every organisation, thousands of well-intentioned employees spend their lives on, subject to, being broken on a wheel by, or being vigorously propelled about the confines of their employer's premises like tiny passengers in a deflating balloon thanks to the resolutions of, [[steering committee]]s.
{{draft}}
 
{{egg}}
Most [[metaphor|metaphors]] don’t bear close examination. This one does.
 
{{sa}}
*[[Operating committee]]
*[[Ouija board]]

Latest revision as of 07:20, 21 September 2021

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A steering committee, yesterday.
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Steering committee
/ˈstɪərɪŋ/ /kəˈmɪti/ (n.)

We do not find it remarkable that, in a century and a half of automotive technology, the drafters of the Highway Code have never once found the space to sanction the operation of a motor-vehicle by consensus. A car is more likely — these days, far more likely — effectively to drive itself than it is to be driven by a committee.

A committee will steer it into the nearest wall. Indeed, only the physical impossibility of the same unitary object travelling in two directions at once would prevent a committee steering into every wall.

These are truths we hold to be self-evident.

Yet — every day, in every organisation, thousands of well-intentioned employees spend their lives on, subject to, being broken on a wheel by, or being vigorously propelled about the confines of their employer's premises like tiny passengers in a deflating balloon thanks to the resolutions of, steering committees.

Most metaphors don’t bear close examination. This one does.

See also

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