Hacking HR to Build an Adaptability Advantage

Do you remember BS5750?  Time was when it was the only externally audited management standard and much criticised by people like me for getting in the way of continuous improvement and customer focus.  It became ISO9001 and a few years ago somebody decided that it was a decent moneyspinner for auditors.  Today we have a dozen or more different "auditable" management standards on everything from environment to risk management.  Whitehall is guilty of constantly trickling down the burdens from this gravy train into businesses and stifling creativity.  In many organisations, far too much managerial resource is now wasted on futile compliance with complex lists derived from standards and auditor demands rather than empathising with customer needs.