The Sydney Morning Herald reports that researchers in Australia and the United States have analysed survey data from about 40,000 employees and managers in six countries to determine dominant styles of management. How does Australia fare?

They found that nearly nine out of 10 Australian organisations were not performing as well as they could be, because of the culture of blame, indecision and conformity. . . "Top executives want a culture that supports excellence [but] their actions reinforce behaviours that are more consistent with coping and survival than excellence and achievement," Mr McCarthy said.

Alright, go ahead and flame me, I know it is stating the bleeding obvious, well it is to us worker bees, but it needs to be said.

This is the direct result of an economic rationalist approach to corporate management and the ascendancy of accountants in the pyramid of corporate power. The role of accountants is to manage fiscal obligations of the organisation not to set policy or interfer in the broader responsibilities of an organisation. Sadly, many accountants don't even recognise that there are other non-fiscal responsibilities.

I know of an educational institution that has an accountant as 2IC. What lunacy is that? What does he know of standing in a classroom when it is 5 degrees with students who can't focus because they are cold. The balance sheet shows a reduction in infrastructure cost per student hour delivered, that's all he cares about. The real function of the organisation is not about having a teacher standing in front of a class delivering lessons as cheaply as possible, it is about children learning.