The Zen Masters...

... pointed out that the key to good leadership rests not in the hands of the led. It's not a matter of weeding out the incompetent, but rather a matter of promoting the capable. The biggest problems with corporate structures, both public and private, lies with their administration, not with their employees.

This is not to say that there aren't dead wood employees, or that the unions have the right to prevent all firings, ever. But without good administration, you aren't even going to get the firings right, and with it, you might not need them as much as you thought you did. In both sectors, there's always some idiot manager who thinks that efficiency/profit/effectiveness is a function of reducing headcount, while still maintaining a way of doing business that prevents capable employees from accomplishing anything.

Just pointing out that there are two problems, and the one you mentioned might not be the most important of the two.

Jester