Should I accept inefficiency at work or push for change?

Secondly, use this knowledge to reframe your expectations of work.

This takes a little psychological nuance. I’m not suggesting you become cynical and give up hope. Cynicism is an easy, but cowardly choice.

Instead, recognise that part of any job is dealing with these common challenges. Bureaucracy, office politics, silos, overlapping responsibilities, misalignment, delays, busywork. They’re not necessarily signs that something is wrong with your job, they’re part of working life.

That doesn’t mean we should just accept this stuff. We need to be perpetually vigilant, always working to minimise these problems: that’s part of being effective.

Of course, some teams and organisations are much better than others, and changing jobs can sometimes be the right solution. But you can only do that so often, and no workplace will ever be entirely free of these frustrations.

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