January 24, 2007
Parkinson's Law in The Law Firm
Simply put, Parkinson's Law states that, left unchecked, “work generates work” and “expenses rise to meet income”. The counterpoint for the managing partner is that he or she has to be constantly at work eliminating and simplifying—reallocating resources to the right things.
In a sidebar item appearing in the Law Practice magazine some time ago, Patrick J. Mckenna wrote about “routines”:
“Your routines represent all of those memoranda, reports, e-mails and trivial matters that conspire to sap you strength and smother your ability to focus attention on activities that really are the highest value-added use of your time. Routines will get you into ruts, dull you senses, stifle your creativity, constrict your thinking, remove you from real-world stimulation and destroy your firm’s competitive vitality”
The word “management” implies accomplishing things through others. Thus, when I say the managing partner should be constantly at work simplifying and eliminating, what I mean is that he or she should build a cultural basis within the firm for doing so. As Mckenna wrote, constantly question the way things are done and never rest on your laurels. As the managing partner, make it everyone’s job to simplify and eliminate—to preserve the firm’s energy and attention for the main things the firm’s success depends on.
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Filed under Firm Culture by Tom Collins
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