One can sense a general feeling of optimism in Kuwait at the announcement of the intention to change and reform the government sector. This optimism is founded in the stated intent to replace some leaders in the government sector who have failed to perform and achieve tangible results. The other reason for optimism is the decision to investigate some allegations of corruption or failures to deliver.

However, for both the simple citizen and private businesses there are phenomena that deserve attention, and which could be considered key to future reform.  These are centralisation and the slow decision-making processes which result in a waste of effort and the loss of opportunities.

In previous years, in an attempt to battle corruption some leaders thought that complex processes and diminishing authority would necessarily lead to enhanced transparency and would reduce the margin for corruption. Unfortunately, this led to the creation of a complex system that is incomprehensible, slow, and ineffective, and the main goal of the regulation is lost through layers of decisions. Both decision-makers and employees no longer know the goal for which they were originally aiming. Everyone has become like a gear in an old machine.

A fear of responsibility has prevailed which has led to the evasion and transfer of obligations to other agencies or fruitless committees. It has become known that whoever works will inevitably make  mistakes and be accountable, while those who are slow or reject responsibility will usually get away with it. This has exacerbated the sluggishness of the system and added to the cost of waste to those who work in Kuwait.

As fear increases authority decreases, and a limitation is put on initiatives, creative thinking, and solution-finding. Managers become mere tools of signatories, and employees become a marginal part of routine machinery. Leaders become obsessed with micro-managing minute details and the approval of even the smallest decisions. They avoid delegation and enhance more centrality, either for the sake of practising authority or for the lack of trust in their employees.

We in the construction industry, like all sectors of the economy, suffer from this abhorrent bureaucratic process that costs the economy so much. It is a major obstacle to progress and leads to the failure of many projects, organizations, and individuals.

Thus, if we are seeking reformation, we have to face this general phenomenon and focus on the deconstruction of this centralisation. We need to genuinely simplify processes and clarify decision-making mechanisms. We have to identify responsibilities and deal transparently with decisions. We need to re-establish trust in leaders and employees in the government sector again and equip them with true authority to take decisions that serve the public good, and, more importantly, to re-educate the government sector and raise awareness that gives priority to consumers, whether individuals or private businesses, by enhancing management practices. Only then we can have a practical optimism.