VIABLE MINIMUM

Somebody Else’s Problem: The Invisible Threat to Programme Success Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy introduces the wonderfully absurd concept of the Somebody Else’s Problem (S.E.P.) field [1] —a device that renders objects effectively invisible by exploiting the human tendency to ignore anything too inconvenient to accept. As Adams puts it, an S.E.P. works because “any problems one may have understanding it… become Somebody Else’s Problem” . A starship disguised as a giant pink elephant at a cricket match becomes unnoticeable not because it cannot be seen, but because the mind refuses to acknowledge something so implausible. While Adams’ example is comic fiction, the behavioural principle behind it is very real. In academia, the psychological phenomenon known as diffusion of responsibility [3] describes how individuals are less likely to take action when others are present and theoretically able to do so. This tendency to ignore issues deemed “out of scope” can ...

  Veto-by-Proxy   AKA: Are You Helping or Not? In many organisations, individuals with approval authority, or influence over those who hold it, employ a subtle yet highly damaging tactic known as veto by proxy. They never explicitly refuse support, nor do they formally block progress. Instead, they create conditions that make advancement so difficult that the initiative falters, all while maintaining the outward appearance of enthusiastic endorsement. Veto by proxy is the pernicious practice of stopping something without ever being seen to oppose it. The behaviour is rarely obvious at first. It emerges gradually through a pattern of contradictions, inconsistencies and seemingly minor actions that, over time, indicate that something is not as it appears. Recognising Veto by Proxy Behaviour Although understated, veto by proxy behaviour follows recognisable patterns. Common indicators include: Excessive focus on trivial risks or issues, often amounting to nit picking. Co...