Parkinson's law, and other studies in administration

What Hacker News says

1. ArodexAug 2026
   You should read Parkinson's research, or his book "Parkinson’s Law And Other Studies In Administration".
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2. liamdcollinsJun 2026
   You should read "Parkinson's Law and other studies in administration" if you haven't already.
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3. RochusDec 2023
   "Parkinson's Law And Other Studies in Administration" - a very enlightening book that has lost none of its relevance.
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4. smsm42May 2020
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   Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Administration + The Peter Principle

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5. RGS1811Jul 2026
   It comes from C. Northcote Parkinson's work, where he calls it "The Law of Triviality". The idea is that people clog up decision-making by introducing a swarm of issues that have little relative impact or importance for the project at hand, leading to a massive misallocation of attention. His example is a $10 million construction project for a Nuclear Reactor where as much time is spent debating the materials to be used for a $3000 bike shed as on the actual reactor buildout. The law of triviality says "the time spent on any item of the agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum [of money] involved."

   Source: C. Northcote Parkinson, "Parkinson's Law and Other Studies in Administration" (1957)

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