Red Tape

Bureaucracy. Seems like it’s everywhere we turn these days. It’s in the news all the time, especially with big organizations (and the government), years and years of processes that are just followed, and seldom analyzed and improved upon.  One of the great things here at KHT is how my teams truly challenge themselves to “cut through the red tape”, with patience, focus, process mapping, asking the tough questions, and the building a new way to help solve you PIA (Pain in the @%$) Jobs!  As I’m usually the culprit who puts the roadblocks in place ( You know 20 steps to complete a project is always better than 5, right ?????)  I’ve found over the years that it’s best to “let my gang” have at it, come up with better methods and then test them – and WHEN they work out, we all win. I came across an article that got me thinking about this that I think you’ll enjoy.  I also wanted to see how today’s AI would recommend reducing “Red Tape” so I asked “gemini” to give us all some advice on how to teach best practices when challenging “red tape” situations.  I hope you enjoy! Special thanks to historyfacts.com, knowledgemagazine.com, Google Gemini and YouTube for the info.

Great tune called “Red Tape” by Brother Elsay – (who knew there was a red tape song??) – enjoy while reading! 

The English word “bureaucracy” originated in the early 19th century, referring to an administrative system where decisions were made by a group of non-elected officials. Today, the term can refer to the regulatory system of any public or private institution, including corporations, organizations, and governments. And in a society where laws are upheld based on a set of established standards and practices, keeping everything running smoothly can require an almost mind-boggling array of rules and regulations. Such an excessive number of official systems and processes is often referred to as “red tape.” 

The use of red tape to bind documents has been noted for centuries, but its exact origins remain murky. The practice may date as far back as the 11th century, to the red, ribbonlike cloth that English clerks used to secure official documents. For hundreds of years, correspondence was tied with tape and the ends were sealed with melted wax, so that the contents couldn’t be read by anyone other than the intended recipient. 

The only way to access the documents was to cut the seal, which around the 18th century led to the common idiom “cutting through the red tape.”  (now you know!!) 

The color red has long signified royalty and wealth, and red dyes such as kermes, from bugs, and cochineal, more bugs, think lipstick, produced a deep scarlet that were favored by the rich and powerful. Considering the high cost these dyes at the time, it’s unlikely that red ribbon was used for anything other than the most important official documents. 

Although red tape bindings had already been around for some time, the first written reference in English to the words “red tape” appeared in 1658, in an advertisement in the Publick Intelligencer describing a lost “little bundle of Papers tied with a red Tape.” 

By the end of the 17th century, the tradition of using red tape to secure official documents had crossed the Atlantic and become standard practice in the American colonies as well. In 1696, a law was passed that stated records of public land boundaries in the colony of Maryland were required to be “seal’d with his Excellency’s Seal of Arms, on a Red Cross with Red Tape.” Authors like Charles Dickens and Thomas Carlyle famously used “red tape” to criticize government inefficiency.

Though a regal red binding once signified order and organization, the term “red tape” eventually took on a derogatory connotation, meaning an overly complicated process of rules and paperwork. This meaning of the term has been around for almost 200 years. One of the earliest known uses is found in the 1850 work Latter Day Pamphlets by Scottish author Thomas Carlyle. He wrote, “From all corners of the wide British Dominion there rises one complaint against the ineffectuality of what are nicknamed our ‘red-tape’ establishments, our Government Offices, Colonial Office, Foreign Office and the others.” 

According to the National Archives Foundation in Washington, D.C., Americans first used the term “red tape” in reference to bureaucracy because of how difficult it was for Civil War veterans to obtain their tape-bound records in order to file pension claims. 

Red ribbon binding remained in use for a surprisingly long time — until the 1980s — and hundreds of miles of red tape have been used to bind billions of historic documents. For more than two decades, the National Archives has been shifting the use of red tape from its historic files to its gift shop. The idea to monetize this bit of governmental history was conceived in the 1990s by a volunteer who was removing the red bindings from Civil War documents so they could be transferred to microfilm. 

In 1997, the first snippets of red tape were sold in the National Archives gift shop for $5. Today, those bits of faded fabric have been incorporated into a wide range of jewelry and mementos for tourists who want to own a piece of bureaucratic history.

Asking Gemini to draft a “cut through the red tape” process, here’s the response: (I’m sure you can trim even further to save steps/time and improve – let me know thoughts!

Teach (and Empower) Your Employees to “Cut Through the Red Tape” Cutting through red tape often involves a combination of skills, knowledge, and attitude. By providing the right tools and leadership support, you can empower your employees to become more effective in their role and delight your customers with their efforts. 

Understanding the System(s) Involved

• Map the Process: Encourage the employee to visualize the entire process, identifying key decision-makers and potential bottlenecks.
• Identify Rules and Exceptions: Understanding the rules is essential, but also knowing when and how to bend them can be crucial.
• Build Relationships: Networking within the organization can help bypass unnecessary steps and expedite processes. Also, be sure to ask your customers for feedback and ideas.

Deploy Problem-Solving Skills

• Focus on Solutions: Emphasize finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems.
• Prioritize Tasks: Teach the employee to identify critical tasks and focus on them first.
• Think Inside and Outside the Box: Encourage creative thinking to find alternative approaches.

Maintain Effective Communication

• Clear and Concise: Teach the employees to communicate clearly and concisely, avoiding jargon.
• Active Listening: Emphasize the importance of understanding the needs and perspectives of others.
• Persuasion Skills: Develop the ability to build consensus and gain support for proposals.

Map Out Practical Actions

• Challenge the Status Quo: Encourage questioning existing procedures and suggesting improvements.
• Leverage Technology: Use technology to automate tasks and improve efficiency.
• Seek Mentorship: Connect the employee with experienced colleagues who can provide guidance.
• Empowerment: Grant employees the authority to make decisions within their scope of responsibility.

Stay Positive in Mindset and Attitude

• Proactive Approach: Encourage taking initiative and anticipating potential obstacles.
• Resilience: Develop the ability to overcome setbacks and maintain a positive outlook.
• Patience: Explain that cutting through red tape often requires perseverance.
• Confidence: Build confidence in the employee’s ability to navigate bureaucracy.
• Celebrate: Enjoy the wins!