Soviet Style in Management
Abstract
In the Kremlin's public view, one of the main activities of the Party is its leadership of the economy. The Party not only determines rules and plans for production but also continuously influences daily economic activities down to the smallest economic units. The Party's all-encompassing participation in economic activities is, of course, alleged by the Kremlin to be a necessary or even a sufficient condition of economic success. Economic success or failure at various levels is said to be directly related to the participation of Party organizations in educational, ideological, and organizational activities. By discovering "reserves" and using them, Party organizations, supported by economic, technical, and engineering services, ensure the fulfillment of plans. A major objective of the Party is maintaining and enhancing the population's "activeness" at all levels. The leading role in maintaining and enhancing activeness is delegated to Party cadres, in the face of a tendency to slide toward inaction. The tendency toward reduced activeness is a problem among the cadres themselves. Many of their activities, on the managerial or even the ministry level, are for appearance only and hide inaction. It is, therefore, an objective of the Party to increase activeness among its cadres, for it is believed that the performance of the masses is directly related to that of the cadres. One often talks about the "inexhaustible energy of the masses"; but it is the Party's private belief that the process to increase activeness begins at the top and spreads downward, channeling the "energy of the masses."
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA596078
Entities
People
- Nathan Leites
Organizations
- RAND Corporation