John Seddon doet in zijn boek The Whitehall Effect de onderstaande - scherpe - constatering over de zinloosheid van het merendeel van de tijd en moeite die het management stop in het oplossen van prestatie-problemen:
The quality theorists teach that more than 95% of the causes of performance are attributable to the system, the remaining 5% to the people who work in it'. If that is true (and it is), imagine the implications for all the 'people management' activities carried out in organisations: performance appraisal, motivational programmes, staff surveys, culture audits, managing the poor performer, and the like. Imagine the futility of phrases like 'our people are our most important asset', 'putting people first' and 'quality means you!' But that's how it is. So much of management's attention is directed to the 5%, not the 95%. It is the reverse of what is required: an almost entire waste of time, energy and talent.