Amtrak

Don't worry, I'm not going to pitch the idea of buying a ticket on a train that'll be 20 hours late, or now and then put you off in a body bag. But not long ago I thought the word "Edsel" might somehow be appropriate when I started looking at the Ordinariate Rite liturgy, and the other day I was browsing the web and found a story on Amtrak that put me in mind of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter.

But first, I neglected to mention another personnel change in Houston in my post about these. (We've already met Fr Wolfe, of course.) In addition to my mention of that appointment and the departure of Fr Sellers, the June 2015 Ordinariate Observer notes that Mrs Laurie Miller has assumed the position of Executive Assistant to the Ordinary, although Barbara Jonte is still listed in that position on the Ordinariate staff page. Ms Jonte, we learn, has moved over to be Special Assistant for Mission Advancement (italics in original).

Now Amtrak:

As it recovers from one of its worst accidents on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak faces frequent management turnover and structural change, in addition to chronic financial and political challenges.

Former Amtrak executives say the turmoil at the top in recent years has disrupted railroad management and distracted employees from their daily duties.

Steven Ditmeyer, a former Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) executive and now an adjunct professor in railway management at Michigan State University, said: "Rapid changes in management are never good, unless they're aimed at getting rid of nonfunctioning people. Management turmoil is of concern."

Over my working life, I got to know several corporations and even a couple of government agencies. I know a thing or two about dysfunctional organizations. I think I see the signs in Houston. This is an organization under pressure. The churning at the upper level reflects what is probably an inability to deal with the problem still farther up.