title: A surrealistic mega-analysis of redisorganization theories.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We are sick and tired of being redisorganized.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To systematically review the empirical evidence for organizational theories and repeated reorganizations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We did not find anything worth reading, other than Dilbert, so we fantasized. Unfortunately, our fantasies may well resemble many people's realities. We are sorry about this, but it is not our fault.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We discovered many reasons for repeated reorganizations, the most common being "no good reason". We estimated that trillions of dollars are being spent on strategic and organizational planning activities each year, thus providing lots of good reasons for hundreds of thousands of people, including us, to get into the business. New leaders who are intoxicated with the prospect of change further fuel perpetual cycles of redisorganization. We identified eight indicators of successful redisorganizations, including large consultancy fees paid to friends and relatives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose the establishment of ethics committees to review all future redisorganization proposals in order to put a stop to uncontrolled, unplanned experimentation inflicted on providers and users of the health services.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Centre for Health Services Research, Pb 7004, St Olavs Plass, 0130 Oslo, Norway. oxman@online.no
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Oxman
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Sackett
authors.forename: Iain
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: Trine E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Prescott
mesh_terms: D003253:Consultants; D017041:Ethics Committees; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000941:ethics; D006302:Health Services Research; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic